Local View: Helping the most vulnerable

Stephanie Beasley

In this editorial regarding the child welfare workforce in Nebraska, DHHS-CFS Director Stephanie Beasley mentions the work of the Center on Children, Families, and the Law on the Alternative Response research project.

"Over the last few years, Nebraska’s child welfare workforce has been implementing new practices, starting new programs and building stronger partnerships, all focused on preventing neglect and abuse before they happen.

One of those new practices is Alternative Response. Alternative Response is an approach to working with families to safely care for children in their own homes and communities. It allows us to respond to allegations of abuse or neglect, but children can remain safely in their homes.

In early 2020, the University of Nebraska’s Center on Children, Families and the Law completed an expansive review of the Department of Health and Human Services deployment of Alternative Response in parts of Nebraska. The center’s findings were significant: Alternative Response is a game changer for child well-being."