Voices for Children in Nebraska is one of the few nonprofits that works with child welfare

data. Each year, they publish a booklet called Kids Count that offers demographic

information on Nebraska children. We have invited Josh Shirk, Ph.D. Research

Coordinator, who graduated from UNO Public Administration.

Years ago, when nonprofits wanted information about racial and child welfare, they had

to rely on national organizations because institutions and organizations did not produce

such reports. This program will explore recent trends in child welfare and offer ways to

deconstruct data to achieve meaningful outcomes. Although many systems and

institutions do not collect income or racial data, VFC uses such information for public

policy advocacy.

When we examine data from the various state agencies, they rarely involve grasstops

or people with lived experience in how they can avoid replicating the old disparities

involving Nebraska’s Children. Join us for a candid conversation on how evidence-

based practice can help children and families improve the quality of life in Nebraska.

Some years ago, the director of the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office said in a

meeting that one could take the recommendations and data reports from years past and

that things had not changed much in Nebraska.

Exploring Child Welfare Data