LINCOLN -- Omaha Sen. Sara Howard grew up listening to her mother, former Sen. and social worker Gwen Howard, talk about the high caseloads of child welfare workers.
"I personally found our inspector general's report heartbreaking," she said at the end of a hearing Thursday afternoon on ongoing workforce issues within the child welfare and juvenile justice system. "The idea that there are 26 kids who died or were seriously injured on our watch is something that I don't think should be allowed in our state."
Inspector General for Child Welfare Julie Rogers once again brought the workforce concerns to the Legislature in her recent annual report. She illustrated the burden on Nebraska's child welfare workers, putting kids at higher risk of abuse or neglect, with the story of a 4-year-old.
The child was admitted to the hospital with a skull fracture and bruising all over his body, Rogers said. During an investigation he said his father had repeatedly abused him.
In the six months before the injury, the state Department of Health and Human Services' child abuse and neglect hotline had received 11 calls about alleged physical abuse of the boy. Five were investigated, and in each case the department or law enforcement incorrectly concluded no physical abuse occurred, she said...
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http://columbustelegram.com/news/state-and-regional/legislative-committee-explores-child-welfare-workforce-problems/article_274a8a77-3b7a-58f5-9bba-b7355364cbf8.html
