Legislation aimed at child welfare reforms

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By ANNA JO BRATTON / The Associated Press

Two years ago, state Sen. Gwen Howard asked Health and Human Services to consider national standards when assigning caseloads to social workers.

But they’ve been “considering” for two years now, and caseworkers are still overwhelmed, Howard said.

She’s asking for a definite cap on caseloads — no more than 15 children per social worker, based on national standards.

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“The bottom line is, when the numbers are too high, the job doesn’t get done for children,” said Howard, who spent 34 years as a child welfare case manager before becoming a state senator in 2005. “I hear from case managers in the field, that they’re still overwhelmed, that there are still too many children on their caseloads.”

Another senator, Annette Dubas of Fullerton, introduced a foster parents’ bill of rights Tuesday. It would provide training for foster parents, ease communication between foster parents, the state and the child’s family, and give foster families a period of respite between placements.

“Our state is struggling to recruit foster parents,” Dubas said. “I know foster parents and I know the sacrifices they make for our system. They’re on the front line. It’s a very intense position to be in, and they deserve support.”

Both bills (LB410 and LB461) are aimed at reforming a child-welfare system criticized in recent years as suffering from a drastic shortage of foster homes and dangerously high caseloads.

Reorganization of the state’s Health and Human Services System already is on the Legislature’s agenda.

The plan, proposed by Gov. Dave Heineman, would restructure and streamline the department, appointing a single chief executive officer and six department directors. Currently, the three departments and more than 6,000 employees of HHS are overseen by a policy cabinet.

Heineman’s proposal is outlined in a bill (LB296) introduced this session by Sen. Joel Johnson of Kearney, chairman of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee.

“This bill will provide accountability and accessibility by having a single director at the top,” said Chris Peterson, CEO of Nebraska’s HHS. “There will be greater coordination and communication.”

While the move doesn’t directly address caseloads, “it’s a very strong step in further defining and focusing on protection and safety in the foster care system.” Children and family services would be combined into one of the six departments, which would allow social workers to work together to identify and help abused and neglected children.

A public hearing will be held Thursday, and the bill, which has seen no substantial opposition, could advance rapidly to the full Legislature. Heineman has urged senators to approve the changes quickly, so they can take effect July 1 along with the state’s fiscal year.

Peterson said she hadn’t seen the two bills introduced Tuesday and couldn’t comment on their potential impact.

Howard said she supports the reorganization. Dubas said she hadn’t studied the legislation but agreed with the concept.

“We should be looking at all the ways we can make HHS perform in a more efficient manner,” Dubas said.

Nearly one-third of all state employees work for HHS, and about one-third of Nebraska’s general fund budget goes to pay for its programs.

A lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court alleges that the state has failed to address long-standing problems in the system. The lawsuit says that many foster homes are overcrowded, often housing as many as six children at a time, and that caseloads for social workers in some areas are more than three times the national standard.