Public Policy
The Nebraska Alliance of Child Advocacy Centers seeks to enhance Nebraska’s response to child abuse through public policy work that advocates for:
- A coordinated, collaborative approach to child protection. Children and their families are best served when the many different agencies and professionals who investigate, respond, and provide support following child abuse allegations work together. High-functioning and collaborative multidisciplinary teams (1184 teams) are key to ensuring safety, justice, and healing for Nebraska children and families.
- Strong child advocacy centers. Local child advocacy centers are essential to minimizing the trauma that children and families experience by providing coordinated investigations and access to needed services. CACs must have the resources they need to provide the children and families they serve with the high quality, evidence-based care they deserve.
- A child protection system grounded in research and data. Children and families deserve high-performing child protection and child welfare services. These systems must use research, track and monitor data, and openly share information so that improvements to the care children and families receive can be made.
The Nebraska Alliance conducts policy work through:
- Legislative advocacy. Each year, the Nebraska Alliance works with the Nebraska Legislature on efforts that enhance our state’s response to child abuse. On behalf of our member centers, we help educate and inform legislators about needed changes to the law that benefit the work of Child Advocacy Centers, our multidisciplinary partners, and the children and families they serve.
- Leadership on statewide initiatives. The Nebraska Alliance helps connect member centers and local multidisciplinary teams with statewide work to improve the response to child abuse. Recent initiatives involving the Nebraska Alliance include the Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force and the Governor’s Commission on the Protection of Children.
- Partnerships with Nebraska agencies serving children and families. The Nebraska Alliance works collaboratively with state agencies, statewide associations, service providers, foundations, and other non-profits to identify challenges and find solutions to enhance our state’s response to child abuse.
