New DHHS in-home philosophy gets established in Panhandle - Star-Herald |
| New DHHS in-home philosophy gets established in Panhandle - Star-Herald Posted: 02 Sep 2010 10:22 PM PDT A paper sign attached to the door of 18 W. 16th St. in Scottsbluff is all that identifies the building as one of the new locations of Boys and Girls Home and Family Services of Nebraska Inc. About two months ago, 25 staff members settled into the building and got to work helping children, youth and their families in western Nebraska. While the name "Boys and Girls Home" might suggest a residential care facility for children, the agency's goal is exactly the opposite. Bob Sheehan, president and chief executive of Boys and Girls Home and Family Services of Nebraska, said that the agency was awarded a contract with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services as part of DHHS's change in emphasis for assisting children, youth and their families. Rather than removing youths from their home environment when intervention is needed to address abuse, neglect or mental health or substance abuse issues, DHHS is striving to provide more assistance to families on an in-home basis. Sheehan said that as of April 1, the agency took responsibility for coordinating services within DHHS's northern, central and western service areas. The western service area includes the 11 Panhandle counties plus 18 southwestern counties. Jeannine Lane is the service area manager for those 29 counties. She averages more than 300 miles per day in her vehicle, traveling among the agency's locations in Scottsbluff, Alliance, Sidney, Ogallala, North Platte, Lexington and McCook. Agency offices do not house children, but they can be used as a safe, neutral meeting place for supervised visits.Lane has a positive attitude towards her work. Her Scottsbluff office is adorned with plaques bearing upbeat words: believe, dream, imagine, faith, hope, love. She is a passionate advocate of providing children and youth with social services in a familiar home environment. "The research is massive that this is what is best for our youth," she said. Lane said that currently, 73 percent of children who are wards of the state are located away from their homes in situations such as foster care, treatment centers or group homes while 27 percent are in their homes. The ultimate goal is to reverse those statistics. Rather than removing children from their homes, the agency will work collaboratively with DHHS and local community-based partners to "wrap services around them," Lane said. Lane said that in order to be successful in this endeavor, her agency must cultivate a support network of formal and informal partners and service providers around the service area. Local social service providers, therapists, churches and schools can all become part of the network of care, along with DHHS. Lane knows western Nebraska culture well, and she believes that this model of collaborative, home-based service will work well here. She compared the partnership to rural residents' tradition of coming together to help an ailing farmer or rancher when the grain needs to be harvested or the calves need to be branded. "Western Nebraska knows how to network, collaborate and rely on each other," she said. Lane acknowledged that the process is in an "infant stage" and there might be a few adjustments as the system is implemented. She said she's working hard to make the positive changes visible. Lane would be glad to add new community organizations to the agency's partnership. Interested organizations can call Lane at 877-524-6957 or 712-224-6950. Lane said that she has encountered people who believe that her agency is a walk-in service provider, and it breaks her heart to tell them that she can't help immediately. The agency is only able to coordinate services for people who are referred through DHHS. To contact DHHS for assistance with a case of child abuse or neglect, call the state hotline at 1-800-652-1999. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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