2016 Boards and Commissions

Nebraska Childrens Commission

General Information

Formal Name:Nebraska Childrens Commission
Contact Person:Doug Weinberg, Director Children and Family ServicesDHHS 301 Centennial Mall South Lincoln, NE 68509 (402) 471-1878
Purpose:First, this commission must create a statewide strategic plan for reform of the child welfare system programs and services. Second, this commission must review the operations of DHHS regarding child welfare programs and services. Also, this commission must recommend, either by the establishment of a new division within DHHS or establishment of a new state agency, options for attaining the intent of this act. This commission shall provide a permanent forum for collaboration among state, local, community, public and private stakeholders in child welfare programs and services. Also required is a committee to examine state policy regarding the prescription and administration of psychotropic drugs for state wards, a committee to examine the structure and responsibilities of the Office of Juvenile Services, and other committees as necessary.
How Many Affectable:All Nebraska Children and Families
How Many Served:NA
Year Created:2012
Year Active:2012
Sunset Date:June 30, 2019, unless continued by the Legislature.

Authorization

Authorization Citation:Neb. Rev. Statute 43-4202
Parent Agency:NA

Memberships and Meetings

Number Of Members:18 Voting Members, 6 Non-Voting Members
Who Appoints:Governor
Legislative Approval:No
Qualifications Of Members:This commission shall include the Chief Executive Officer of DHHS or designee, the Director of Children and Family Services or designee and sixteen members appointed by the Governor within thirty days after the effective date of this act. These sixteen members shall represent stakeholders in the child welfare system and shall include: Voting members include; The executive director of the Foster Care Review Office; and 17 (seventeen) members appointed by the Governor and that must include:oA director of a Child Advocacy CenteroAn administrator of a behavioral health regionoA community representative from each of the service areasoA prosecuting attorney who practices juvenile courtoA guardian ad litemoA biological parent currently or previously involved in the child welfare system or juvenile justice systemoA foster parentoA court appointed special advocate volunteeroA member of a local foster care review boardoA child welfare service agency that directly provides a wide range of child welfare services and is not a member of a lead agency collaborativeoA young adult previously in foster careoA representative of a child advocacy organization that deals with legal and policy issues that include child welfareoA representative of a federally recognized Indian tribe residing within the State of Nebraska and appointed within thirty days after June 5, 2013, from a list of three nominees submitted by the Commission on Indian AffairsNon-voting, ex officio members:oChairperson of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairpersonoChairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairpersonoChairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairpersonoThree persons appointed by the State Court AdministratoroChief Executive Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services or his or her designeeoDirector of Children and Family Services of the Division of Children and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services or his or her designeeoCommissioner of Education or his or her designeeoInspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare
Per Diem:NA
Expense Reimbursement:Members of the commission shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses as provided in sections 81-1174 to 81-1177.
Term Length:2 years
Terms Rotate or Expire At Once:All Expire

Meetings Required In:

Required FY 13-14:4
Held FY 13-14:10
Required FY 14-15:4
Held FY 14-15:11
Required FY 15-16:4
Held FY 15-16:6

Operations

Support Staff:The commission, with assistance from the executive director of the Foster Care Review Office, shall employ a policy analyst to provide research and expertise to the commission relating to the child welfare system.
Shared or Separate:NA
FY 13-14 Budget:NA
FY 14-15 Budget:NA
FY 15-16 Budget:NA
Other Funding Sources:NA
Spending Authority:NA

Accomplishments

Since July 1, 2012:Since July 1, 2012: The committee was charged with collaborating with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the Juvenile Justice Institute, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the Center for Health Policy, the behavioral health regions as established in section 71-807, and state and national juvenile justice experts to develop recommendations. In addition, if the committees recommendations include maintaining the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Kearney, the recommendations shall include a plan to implement a rehabilitation and treatment model by upgrading the centers physical structure, staff, and staff training and the incorporation of evidence-based treatments and programs. The Juvenile Services (OJS) committees Phase I Strategic Recommendations document was delivered to the Nebraska Childrens Commission and electronically to the Judiciary Committee of the Legislature in December 2013. On November 17, 2015, the Nebraska Children's Commission approved the OJS Sub-committees Phase I Strategic Recommendations document. The committee continues to meet monthly, usually on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, to further develop the Phase I Strategic Recommendations. DCFS participates on this Sub-committee. The Psychotropic Medication Committee was established by LB821 (2012) and codified at Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-4203(2)(a) to examine state policy regarding the psychotropic drugs prescribed for children who are wards of the state and administration of such drugs to such children.The Committee recommended a framework of policies and procedures for children receiving psychotropic medications in the Commissions 2012 Phase I Strategic Plan, and was authorized by the Commission in 2014 to provide guidance to research and assess practices for prescribing psychotropic medications to children and adolescents living in Nebraska. This sub-committee did not meet in 2015 and was reactivated in the spring of 2016. DCFS participates on this sub-committee. The Foster Care Rate Reimbursement Sub-committee submitted final recommendations regarding implementation of a new rate structure and level of care assessment tools in May 2014. The committee is currently working on monitoring the Level of Responsibility Workgroup project that is implementing the Nebraska Caregiver Responsibilities (NCR) tool at various sites statewide, monitoring the Group Home Rate Sub-Committee, and preparing recommendations for the Legislature that will be due July 1, 2016. The Foster Care Reimbursement Rate Committee meets monthly. DCFS participates on this sub- committee. The Bridge to Independence Advisory Committee has been meeting since July 2013 to make recommendations regarding the creation of a program offering voluntary services and support for youth who have aged out of foster care before attaining permanency. This program was implemented on October 1, 2014, and the Committee continues to make recommendations for improvement. This Committee has also focused its attention on youth served in the juvenile justice system. Recognizing that this population needs similar supports and services, a workgroup was formed to examine the possibility of implementing a similar program to serve these youth. The Committee will consult with a national firm to perform an analysis of the programs potential fiscal impact. DCFS participates on this sub-committee. Workforce Workgroup has been working to review the increased responsibilities of the Commission regarding the case management workforce issues. Lengthy dialogue has occurred surrounding the future efforts to strengthen the workforce. This workgroup is soliciting input from Nebraska Families Collaborative and DCFS. DCFS participates on this workgroup. Strengthening Families Act Taskforce was created at the November 17, 2015 Commission meeting to act as an advisory body as the normalcy provisions of the Strengthening Families Act are implemented in Nebraska. This group will create recommendations surrounding the provisions that support youth in foster care to engage in normal childhood activities, such as sleepovers, extracurricular activities, sports participation, sleep-away camp, and other pro-social activities that encourage healthy development. Membership will be populated by a stakeholder group with background and expertise in the Strengthening Families Act. In its meetings since November of 2015, the Taskforce delegated tasks into five Subcommittees. They are the Community & Family Voice Subcommittee, Grievance Subcommittee, Normalcy Subcommittee, Trafficking Subcommittee, and Training Subcommittee. The Subcommittees will work to form recommendations in their respective areas of focus to submit to the Nebraska Childrens Commission. On January 6, 2016 LB746 was introduced by Senator Campbell. The bill would create the Normalcy Task Force as a statutory subgroup of the Nebraska Children's Commission and would supersede the SFA Taskforce.