Children's Behavioral Health System
Nebraska has made great efforts in the past years to improve services to children and families. These successes include new plans at both the service and system levels. The Division of Behavioral Health funds outpatient treatment. It also continues to fund and expand middle intensity services including day treatment, respite care and school-based wraparound.
The Department also funds wraparound for children with serious emotional problems and their families through the Professional Partner Program. The purpose of the Program is to improve the lives of Nebraska’s children with serious emotional disturbances and their families. This would be done by preventing expensive out-of-home placements, reducing juvenile crime, increasing school performance and attendance, and preventing children from becoming state wards just to get services.
LB 542 Implementation Report: Creating Change and Providing Hope for Nebraska’s Children, Adolescents and Their Families 2008
Systems of Care
Through a joint effort between Children’s Behavioral Health and Juvenile Justice within the Department, pilot programs have been created in two areas of the State to prevent juvenile offenders from entering the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers (e.g., state juvenile detention facilities). In addition, Nebraska received a grant from the Center for Mental Health Services to establish a comprehensive system of care for 22 counties in Central Nebraska.The purpose of the grant is to:
- Develop an array of effective services provided by highly trained staff,
- Provide individualized care and coordination of services through a wraparound approach,
- Ensure parents are equal partners at all levels,
- Ensure service provision and system design are culturally competent,
- Integrate the service delivery system across mental health, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, and substance abuse through a community-state partnership, and
- Effectively manage the system to produce outcomes for children and families in a cost effective manner.
Nebraska received a second grant application from the federal Center for Mental Health Services to develop a full system of care for youth with serious emotional disorders in Lancaster County. The goals of the grant are to:
- To ensure the full involvement and partnership of families
- To create a sustainable system of care
- To create organizational relationships
- To develop a consolidated service delivery system
- To establish interagency involvement in project structure and process
- To develop accountable delivery systems
Family Networks
Another component of the service array system in the community is the family support organizations in each of the six behavioral health regions. Two offices offered a proposal to solicit bids for a new support activity called "Families Mentoring & Supporting Other Families," a joint initiative to request proposals from qualified sources to provide:
- Strength-based, family centered, and partnership oriented supports to:
- parents whose children are diagnosed with a serious emotional disturbance and substance dependence disorders.
- parents across the State of Nebraska whose children have been made state wards, or are in a voluntary case, or
- parent who are involved with the department as a result of a report of abuse/neglect, or
- The intent is to ensure that parents have a voice, ownership and access to the systems of care for their child (i.e. case plans, individual educational plans, treatment plans and any other care plan).
The Department sought organizations interested in working with the State to build support services to families that will focus on giving parents an understanding of wraparound services through peer role modeling and coaching. The philosophy of wraparound includes individualized services that are developed through professionals and parents in partnership where both are serving important roles in service delivery. Services are tailored to meet the individualized needs of the child and family and based upon strength-based assessments.
Early Childhood Mental Health
A Governor’s Symposium on Early Childhood Mental Health was held in May 2001. At this two day meeting, family members, providers and policy makers laid out the challenge for a comprehensive, integrated and coordinated system of care to meet the mental health needs of our youngest children. The Early Child Mental Health Work Group has been developing an action plan to develop a system that is child focused and family centered, culturally responsive, community based and committed to continuous improvement.
Maya Chilese, MA, PLMHP, CCGC
Children's Behavioral Health Manager
Division of Behavioral Health
PO Box 98925
Lincoln NE 68509-8925
Phone: (402) 471-7792
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