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The Nebraska Foster Care Review Office Report on the State Ward Permanency Pilot. Submitted Pursuant to LB905 (2014). March 24, 2015.
Nebraska Foster Care Review Office.
State Resource
Technical Report
22 p.
Public Domain
Published: March 2015
Download: http://nebraskalegislature.gov/FloorDocs/104/PDF/Agencies/Foster_Care_Review_Office/294_20150324-143603.pdf
This report shares findings from the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office’s (FCRO) analysis of the State Ward Permanency Pilot, a project that serves state wards who are eligible for services through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Developmental Disabilities, but do not qualify for priority funding under the Developmental Disabilities Service Act. State wards receiving an enhanced level of care or otherwise assessed to have above-average habilitative needs are to be given priority to participate in the Pilot. To complete the evaluation, the FRCO discussed each individual case with the child welfare case managers and superiors and all process and systemic issues that have occurred since the Pilot began in July 2014. Findings indicate: as of December 2014, there were 38 children served by the Pilot; there were four State wards that achieved permanency by having developmental disability (DD) eligibility put into place and their State ward status ended by the courts; of those children receiving developmental disability services, since July 2014 one child had two placements and the remainder had only one placement; and none of the State wards involved in this Pilot have been eligible and receiving developmental disability services for over six months, but each of these children do have an Individualized Personal Plan with specific goals. Process and systemic issues that need further review are discussed, key systemic issues are highlighted, and recommendations are made.
Keywords:
foster children; child placement; permanency; child welfare reform; promising practices; developmental disabilities; children with disabilities; demonstration programs; Nebraska