MEDIA CONTACT
Gillian Lehmkuhl, (402) 471-6585,
gillian.lehmkuhl@nebraska.gov
Lincoln, NE – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Children and Family Services (CFS) has been selected to receive a federal Title IV-E Prevention Accelerator Grant from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to strengthen Nebraska's prevention services infrastructure and help more families receive support before challenges become crises.
Nebraska is one of 10 states selected nationwide for the grant, which will help states build the systems, provider capacity, data infrastructure, and other supports needed to implement and sustain evidence-based prevention services.
Nebraska will use the grant to strengthen its capacity to implement and sustain Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based approach that helps individuals build motivation toward positive change. The work will include:
- Increasing the number of MI model-trained individuals;
- Expanding provider capacity and referral pathways;
- Establishing claiming and reimbursement systems;
- Developing data and reporting infrastructure; and
- Creating a long-term sustainability plan.
DHHS will partner with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Community Collaboratives, Nebraska 211 Warmline team, Chapin Hall, and MI Model Trainer Brenda Jennings to help expand provider capacity, strengthen referral pathways, and support implementation across Nebraska.
“Prevention is at the heart of Nebraska's Right Home, Right Time framework. This funding, combined with the commitment and expertise of our community partners, will help us continue advancing our goals to support families earlier, strengthen the resources available to them, and keep children safely connected to their families whenever possible," said CFS Deputy Director of Community and Clinical Partnerships Camas Holder. “By working together, we can make sure families have the right support at the right time and create better outcomes for children and families across Nebraska."
The grant supports Nebraska's Right Home, Right Time framework and its priorities for supporting children and families:
- Support at home first: Provide prevention and early intervention services that help families safely remain together whenever possible.
- Prioritize relatives and kin placement: When children cannot safely remain at home, prioritize placement with relatives and trusted members of their existing support network.
- Timely permanency: When children cannot return home, work toward safe, stable, and timely permanency.
“Nebraska's goal is not simply to respond when a family reaches a crisis. We want to help prevent that crisis from occurring in the first place," said CFS Director Dr. Alyssa Bish. "Our Right Home, Right Time framework guides us in providing the right support at the right time, reducing unnecessary entry into care and, when needed, prioritizing kinship placements and timely permanency. This grant strengthens our ability to support families early and keep children's well-being at the center of every decision."
The grant builds on Nebraska's ongoing work to strengthen its child welfare prevention infrastructure and partnerships with community-based organizations. It also complements Nebraska's recent selection for the ACF Children's Bureau Predictive Analytics in Child Welfare Demonstration Grant.
The three-year grant will support DHHS in developing Right Home, Right Time on TRACK (Timely Review, Analytics, and Coordination for Kids), a statewide predictive analytics initiative designed to strengthen child welfare decision-making and improve permanency outcomes.
Together, the two federal investments support Nebraska's broader Right Home, Right Time strategy by strengthening both the ability to identify opportunities to support families earlier and the infrastructure needed to connect them with effective prevention services.
Related Information:
ACF Awards $7.3 Million to Help States Build Prevention Infrastructure to Reduce Foster Care Entries
ACF Awards $6 Million to 10 Jurisdictions to Advance Use of Predictive Risk Modeling in Child Welfare