The state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) would be required to provide case management for Nebraska\u2019s child welfare system under a bill heard Jan. 26 by the Health and Human Services Committee.<\/p>\n
Lincoln Sen. Kathy Campbell said LB961 resulted from the committee\u2019s interim study of the recent child welfare reform initiative undertaken by DHHS, which privatized some services for Nebraska foster children and families.<\/p>\n
In July 2009, the department selected six private entities as lead agencies to implement the reform initiative. Currently, two lead agencies remain under contract with DHHS to assist with implementing reforms.<\/p>\n
Campbell said one of those remaining agencies, KVC Nebraska, informed the department in November 2011 that they lacked the ability to continue funding their portion of the reform efforts. DHHS was able to resolve the situation, she said, but losing another lead agency would have had dire consequences for state wards.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren in the southeast [service] area would have been a mere 38 days from losing all case management,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch shows that permanency substantially drops with each [additional] case manager that a child has,\u201d she said. Seventy-four percent of children with one case manager achieve permanency, Campbell said, but that number drops to 17.5 percent for children who have two or three case managers.<\/p>\n
Mary Boschult, former assistant director of DHHS, testified in support of the bill.<\/p>\n
Case management should be the responsibility of the state, she said. Vesting case management with one private lead agency puts children at risk if the agency can no longer provide services, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a disaster waiting to happen,\u201d Boschult said.<\/p>\n
Lincoln foster parent Lisa Koperski also testified in support of the bill, saying her experience with KVC case management was marked by confusion and a lack of communication. Koperski said her foster son had six different family permanency specialists in 18 months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis experience has left us feeling disappointed, frustrated and unappreciated,\u201d she said. \u201cThe turnover in our case was unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah Helvey of Nebraska Appleseed testified in support of the bill, saying a return to case management by DHHS would help bring long-term stability to the child welfare system. Reforms have led to a 27 percent increase in costs, she said, but haven\u2019t improved outcomes for Nebraska children.<\/p>\n
\u201c[LB961] is critical to creating an accountable and dependable system that is focused on the needs of children and not the bottom line,\u201d Helvey said.<\/p>\n
Carol Crumpacker, executive director of Child Guidance Center in Lincoln, also supported the bill.<\/p>\n
KVC has failed to provide adequate case management for children who receive treatment services through her organization, Crumpacker said. KVC\u2019s case managers lack training, accountability and oversight, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bill is just one of several that, together, will transform the system of care for children in our state,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
But Scot Adams, interim director of DHHS\u2019s division of children and family services, said changing case management duties would result in increased disruption for children in the state\u2019s foster care system.<\/p>\n
Testifying in opposition to the bill, Adams said it is too early to judge the success or failure of reform efforts. At least three years are required to make a full transition to a strong public-private system, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are changing tires as we\u2019re driving down the road,\u201d Adams said.<\/p>\n
KVC employee Linda Gamble opposed the bill, saying her caseload was higher as a DHHS employee. Gamble said she often had as many as 38 cases when employed by the department, while her highest caseload at KVC has been 18 families.<\/p>\n
Father Steven Boes of Boys Town also testified in opposition. He said the committee should listen to the stories of families and workers, but urged them also to consider survey and outcome data.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we know about anecdotal data is that it tends to skew negative,\u201d he said. \u201cTo dismiss an entire system \u2026 with one horrible story is easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boes said reform is showing hopeful signs and should be given ample time to succeed.<\/p>\n
Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez, president of KVC Nebraska, agreed. Case management was shifted to the lead agencies to streamline communication and improve service delivery, she said, but final decisions regarding safety and other issues remain with the state under the current system.<\/p>\n
\u201cReturning case management to the state would be a step backward because we are seeing positive improvement,\u201d Gasca-Gonzalez said.<\/p>\n
Both privatized service areas in the state have seen improvement in five out of six outcome measurements, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe overarching theme is \u2026 children are safer and more stable than they were prior to implementation of the reform efforts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The committee took no immediate action on the bill.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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