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Right Turn, 888-667-2399
LINCOLN — The Nebraska Family Helpline wasn't even officially up and running when its first call came in at 2:13 p.m. New Year's Eve.
Two more calls had been received by midday Saturday.
One caller needed answers for dealing with an out-of-control child, said Boys Town spokeswoman Kara Neuverth. The others were struggling with a child's substance abuse problem.
Hot line employees managed to link all three with services that should help, she said.
The calls were the first of what are expected to be 1,800 per month to Nebraska's new hot line for families of troubled children.
The line will be answered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by a trained staff supervised by licensed behavioral health professionals. The line is funded by the state and operated by Boys Town.
“What will happen is families in all kinds of trouble will be able to find the help that they need,” said Scot Adams, behavioral health services director for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
The hot line officially went live at 12:01 a.m. Friday, along with two other services created in response to the state's experience with its former safe haven law.
The Family Navigator service helps families find their way through the system to get help. The Right Turn program provides support for families that have adopted or become guardians for former foster children.
Parents and guardians dropped off more than 30 children under Nebraska's safe haven law before an age limit was added in November 2008.
Most of those left were teenagers or preteens with mental, emotional or behavioral problems. Many of the parents said they did not know where to turn for help. The new hot line was designed to give such families a place to turn.
James Gross, associate vice president of Boys Town, said the hot line is available to any family experiencing problems with a child up to age 19.
Hot line staffers have been trained to help families work through immediate crises. If necessary, they can call in emergency responders. Staffers can offer tips and strategies for parenting.
They can recommend local resources and services. They also can help people connect with those services.
“The whole purpose of this is to not have the families in the state be bumped here and there to get help,” Gross said.
When families need longer-term help, the hot line staff will offer to refer them to the new Family Navigator program.
The program is operated by Boys Town, working with family support groups across the state. The trained navigators all have had personal experience dealing with troubled children and teens and with negotiating the service system.
If families agree, navigators will meet with them within 24 to 72 hours after a hot line call. Gross said he expects navigators will spend eight hours, on average, providing support and guiding families to appropriate services.
Right Turn, the third new program, supports families who have adopted or are guardians of former foster children.
A disproportionate number of the children dropped off under the former safe haven law were adopted or had a guardian.
The program, operated by Lutheran Family Services and the Nebraska Children's Home Society, offers respite care, mentoring, counseling, classes, support groups and case management.
“Right Turn will help families address any issues that come up so the adoption or guardianship remains strong,” said Todd Reckling, children and family services director for HHS.
Families that qualify for the program will receive a mailing about it. To be eligible, parents must have an adoption subsidy agreement with HHS. Families can call the program at any hour of any day.
Melanie Williams-Smotherman, head of the Family Advocacy Movement, a group formed in the wake of the safe haven experience, said she would have to wait and see whether the new services live up to their promise.
She said her experience has been that state programs “look good in plans and press releases” but don't always work out that way.
“I'm going to try and be optimistic and at the same time be realistic,” she said. “If it does work out as it should, it will be positive.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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