Foster care demonstration project proposed

The state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) would be required to apply for a federal waiver for a foster care demonstration project under a bill heard Jan. 20 by the Health and Human Services Committee.

Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell said LB820, introduced by the committee, could improve permanency for children in the foster care system and allow the department to fund an array of community-based services for children and their families.

Title IV-E is the adoption assistance and foster care program funded by the federal government.
The bill would require DHHS to apply for a federal Title IV-E waiver by Jan. 1, 2013.

“The waivers do not add more money to state [Title] IV-E funds, but provide more flexibility in their use,” Campbell said.

Under the bill, the waiver application would be required to show that Nebraska would implement at least two child welfare improvement policies outlined by the federal government within three years of the application. At least one of those policies would be new to the state.

Melanie Williams-Smotherman, executive director of the Family Advocacy Movement, spoke in favor of the bill.

She said a waiver could result in more funds for programs that focus on family preservation, rather than out-of-home services. Currently, Nebraska fluctuates between having the second and third highest child removal rate in the country, she said.

“There is a horrible price to pay for this … which cannot be measured in dollars,” Williams-Smotherman said.

Sarah Forrest of Voices for Children in Nebraska also testified in support, calling the bill an important opportunity for comprehensive child welfare reform.

“For many years our child welfare system has failed children and families,” she said, adding that abuse prevention and in-home services could greatly improve outcomes for children at risk.

Scot Adams, interim director of the DHHS division of children and family services, testified in a neutral capacity.

Adams said the department is interested in exploring a Title IV-E waiver, but is concerned about timelines outlined in the bill. In addition, he said, DHHS is engaged in monitoring the performance of current reforms and would like time to explore any unintended consequences of obtaining a waiver.

“We are concerned with the mandate of LB820,” Adams said. “We’ve got far more to learn.”

No opposition testimony was given and the committee took no immediate action on the bill.