The Nebraska Legislature just passed LB1173, a historic child welfare bill that includes several of Nebraska Appleseed’s long term priorities. This is a win years in the making 🎉
LB1173 represents a positive shift in our child welfare system, providing more equality, services, and protections. Thank you Senator Machaela Cavanaugh, Senator Megan Hunt, Senator Lynne Walz, and Senator John Arch, as well as the Health & Human Services Committee for your work on this bill.
So wha…t’s in this historic child welfare bill?
It includes ending privatization, bringing treatment family care to NE, and protection for youth receiving Social Security benefits.
1️⃣ Children and human services should never be for profit or experiment. Ending privatization in Nebraska’s child welfare system recognizes the state’s tumultuous and harmful history with privatization.
Our client, Laura Virgl has been fighting to end privatization since 2019 through her lawsuit against the State and Saint Francis Ministries. She says she is thankful no more children and families will be subjected to the instability and irreparable harm caused by privatization.
2️⃣ LB1173 also requires the state to bring Treatment Family Care (“TFC”) services to Nebraska. TFC provides youth with mental and behavioral health services in home settings, rather than forcing them to unnecessarily resort to congregate and in-patient care settings.
3️⃣ And finally, LB1173 takes important steps toward protecting youth in the foster care system who are receiving Social Security benefits. Nebraska will be required to notify youth and their attorneys when youth’s benefits are received by the State.
Current practice required no notification of youth, so they often did not and do not know that Nebraska received and/or spent thousands of dollars of their benefits. LB1173 gives youth more knowledge, control, & agency over their own benefits.
📰 Full Press Statement here! https://neappleseed.org/39404