The Nebraska Commission for the Protection of Children (Commission) was established in 1993 by Executive Order 93-7. Since that time, it has functioned as Nebraska's Children's Justice Act (CJA) State Task Force and one of three Citizen Review Panels in the state. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services (DHHS) contracts with the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation (Nebraska Children) to support and administer the Commission. Nebraska Children began subcontracting with the Nebraska Alliance of Child Advocacy Centers (Nebraska Alliance) to assist with some of those duties in 2019. In 2020, the Nebraska Alliance also began to assist with the Citizen Review Panel (CRP) that functions as a subcommittee of the Commission.
Since 2017, the CRP under the Commission has focused its efforts on the review of serious injury and near fatality cases due to child abuse. It includes both Commission and non-Commission members from the larger community. The cases are preliminarily identified through the statewide Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline and then additionally screened by staff with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to see if they meet the criteria for review. DHHS then prepares case files for CRP review.
Definitions
Serious Bodily Injury shall mean bodily injury which involves substantial risk of death or which involves substantial risk of serious permanent disfigurement or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any part or organ of the body. (Neb. Rev. Stat. 28-109)
Near Fatality means a case in which an examining physician determines that a child is in serious or critical condition as a result of sickness or injury caused by suspected abuse, neglect or maltreatment.
Membership
Membership requires prior/current experience working with families in the Children Welfare system. Review the Membership Overview for more details.
- Children/parent attorneys
- Child advocates/guardians ad litem
- Health, substance abuse and mental health professionals
- Law Enforcement representatives
- Child Protection and Safety
Reports
DHHS Response to Recommendations