On September 30th, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Boys and Girls Home and HHS have mutually agreed to terminate their contract with the state as one of three remaining lead agencies in the child welfare reform. Boys and Girls Home had the contract for the entire central, northern and […]
Loss of Third Child Welfare Lead Agency Demands State Reconsider Reform Read More »
On September 22, the Legislature’s Children’s Behavioral Health Oversight Committee held a hearing and listened to testimony from parents of children with unmet behavioral health needs. The stories were heartbreaking. Many told of the support they received from peer mentors. However, several of the family organizations that provide this service testified that they may have
Since our founding in Milo and Andrea’s basement, Appleseed has been a family friendly organization and one that strives to create a positive work-life balance. This commitment takes many forms. One example is Appleseed’s Infant-At-Work Program in which staff who have worked at Appleseed for at least one year are permitted to bring a new
Nebraska Appleseed’s Infant-At-Work Program Read More »
There seems to be a troubling double standard in the Nebraska foster care system that has come to light in a new way in recent weeks as contracts with two of the five private agencies have been terminated due to funding problems. One standard is that parents in the system are often faulted for having
Foster Care Double Standard Read More »
Since our last post on the child welfare privatization following the announcement that CEDARS Youth Services terminated its contract with HHS, there has been more bad news. The state’s contract with a second agency, Visinet, was terminated two weeks ago and Visinet subsequently filed bankruptcy. Then, last Thursday night, Visinet closed its doors after they
Child Welfare Privatization Crisis Read More »
I was recently asked by my law school alma mater (University of Nebraska College of Law) to reflect on my choice to pursue public interest law in Nebraska and how law school had prepared me for that task. As I wrote out my answers, I realized how lucky I was to stumble upon Nebraska Appleseed
The Reward of Working in Public Interest Read More »
On Friday, CEDARS Youth Services announced that it is terminating its contract with HHS to provide out-of-home services as part of the state’s privatization of foster care. In a statement to the Lincoln Journal Star, CEDARS president and CEO Jim Blue cited financial reasons and indicated that projections showed the agency would lose $5.5 million
Underfunded Child Welfare Contracts Put Kids and Agencies at Risk Read More »
Last month, the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee heard testimony on two important child welfare bills that Nebraska Appleseed strongly supports. LB 971, introduced by Sen. Kathy Campbell, would implement several key provisions of the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 into Nebraska statute. Specifically, the bill requires the state to place
Two Important Child Welfare Bills Need Our Support Read More »
While our country is engaged in an intense debate about immigration policy, largely absent from the discussion is the impact of our nation’s policies on the children of immigrants. Today, there are an estimated 5.5 million children with unauthorized immigrant parents, about three-quarters of whom are U.S.-born citizens. Last week, the Urban Institute released a
Report Documents Immigration Enforcement’s Harmful Effects on Children Read More »
I love Thanksgiving. My Dad (my favorite farmer) cooks for us, and this year, I have not one but two beautiful nieces to giggle with at the table.  This is what valuing family means to me. I am grateful for a good meal, for family, and even for the baby drool and stuffing that will