Help with troubled kids not always easy to get

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By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

If you’re at the end of your rope with your child’s behavioral problems, you have alternatives to the safe haven solution.

That’s what state officials and private agency heads said over and over after two youths — a 15-year-old in Lincoln, an 11-year-old in Omaha — were abandoned over the weekend.

State officials say there are alternatives — from nonprofit human services to help from public schools to state agencies, many of them low cost or no cost.

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This photo from Aug. 22 shows a sign proclaiming the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha a safe haven place. (AP file)

This photo from Aug. 22 shows a sign proclaiming the Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha a safe haven place. (AP file)

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But others say families can get frustrated by long waiting lists or costs that are out of reach for some low-income and even middle-income families.

Kathy Bigsby Moore, with Voices for Children Nebraska, said the use of the safe haven law for two older children this weekend illustrates Nebraska does not have a solid system of children’s behavioral health services.

The safe haven law, which went into effect in July, was originally designed to protect infants who were in danger of being harmed if left in an unsafe place. It also protects the parent or guardian from being charged with a crime.

But before the bill was passed, it was amended to include all children — even teens.

On Saturday, a Lincoln woman abandoned her 15-year-old nephew at BryanLGH Medical Center West, saying she couldn’t deal with his behavior problems.

In Omaha, a woman dropped off her 11-year-old son at a hospital, saying she could no longer care for him.

These cases — the first two under the law — point to a need for services that are not available, not readily available or are under-publicized, Moore said.

Families who have private health insurance or Medicaid coverage have more options, she said.

Both of the youths dropped off this weekend had Medicaid coverage, state officials said.

But Nebraska spends less on behavioral health services than most states, Moore said.  

And it is among the lowest six states for eligibility for Kids Connection,  health care coverage for qualified children that includes both the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid.

In most states, families who earn up to 250 percent of the poverty level  are eligible, she said. In Nebraska and a few other states, only those at 185 percent or lower qualify.

Some states, she said, have even added general fund dollars to cover more children.

A few programs, such as Cedars, have emergency shelters, which can be accessed by calling the 24-Hour Crisis Line (402) 437-8888 or by going directly to the shelter at 6601 Pioneers Blvd. Cedars also has emergency shelter services in the Broken Bow area.

Public schools have social workers, counselors and psychologists who can guide parents to services in the community, said Marilyn Moore, Lincoln Public Schools associate superintendent for instruction.

At the same time, she acknowledged that mental health services for young people are frequently hard to come by because there are not enough providers.

The cost — and the wait — are issues in this community, she said.

“I wish it were otherwise,” Moore said.  

For parents to be so far at the end of their rope they would release a child from their life is a dramatic and drastic step, she said.  

Todd Landry, director of the children and family services division of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, said a wide variety of services is available to Nebraska families, at different levels of intensity, beginning with the least restrictive care.

The services include parent education and skills building, respite care for families in crisis, counseling, therapy and substance abuse programs, and residential treatment programs, such as Boys Town in Omaha and Grand Island, Epworth Village in York, and Uta Halle Girls Village and Cooper Village for Boys in Omaha.

Parents and guardians can call 211 and access United Way information and referral services, Landry said.

Many agencies will do assessments and evaluations to determine the precise services children need, he said.

Some services are low cost or no cost, or have a sliding fee scale based  on income.

In Lincoln, Family Services offers quarterly basic parenting skill classes. They are eight-week sessions that meet on Monday nights from 6-8 p.m., said June Baumgartner.

The classes cost $120 and grants are available. They are for new parents, young parents and those who are struggling with some aspect of parenting, she said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.