Nebraska Leverages Federal Funding to Transform Foster Care with AI Technology
Nebraska is stepping into the future of foster care management with a $600,000 federal grant aimed at integrating advanced technology into its system. This initiative is part of a broader $6 million grant awarded to nine states, one native nation, and the District of Columbia by the Administration for Children and Families under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The grant aims to harness artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to assess family risks and determine whether children should remain at home or enter foster care. This approach is expected to reduce the number of children in foster care and improve placement with appropriate foster families.
Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services plans to use this funding to develop a program called “TRACK” (timely review, analytics, and coordination for kids). According to a department news release, the program will utilize data to identify high-risk situations, offer resources to prevent abuse, and facilitate family reunification. The goal is to equip caseworkers with crucial information to provide stable and permanent homes for children.
“The safety and well-being of Nebraska’s children will always be our top priority,” stated Gov. Jim Pillen in the release. “This grant gives Nebraska an important opportunity to strengthen our child welfare system by using data to inform decisions, improve outcomes, and help ensure children receive support when they need it most.”
Nebraska currently has nearly 4,000 children in out-of-home care, as estimated by the Nebraska Foster Care Review Office. Across the nation, the U.S. Department of Education estimates there are approximately 400,000 foster children.
This funding initiative was set in motion by an executive order from former President Donald Trump, focusing on supporting caseworkers and children within the foster care system through technological solutions, including AI-powered tools.
Trump emphasized in the order, “Our Nation’s children and youth — and the families who care for them — deserve better. To that end, my Administration…will harness Federal support, technology, and strategic partnerships to provide young Americans in or transitioning out of the foster care system with the tools they need to become successful adults.”
The order also challenges existing policies that restrict foster child placements based on religious or moral beliefs. It counters a policy under the Biden administration that mandated considerations for transgender children’s preferred names and pronouns in placements and required training to support foster children’s identities.
Attorneys general from 19 states, including Nebraska, have joined Alabama’s Attorney General Steve Marshall in opposing the Biden policy, labeling it discriminatory and suggesting it limits home availability. Trump’s order encourages partnerships with faith-based agencies to expand the pool of foster families.
