CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

State plans to stick with child welfare case manager for Omaha area Nebraska Families Collaborative was one of 2 groups that submitted bids for new contract

Omaha World-Herald - 3/31/2017

LINCOLN - Nebraska child welfare officials announced plans Thursday to stick with the Nebraska Families Collaborative for managing child welfare cases in the Omaha area.

The decision means there should be no disruption for children and families involved with the child welfare system in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.

The new case management contract will be worth up to $71.5 million annually for five years, with the option of two extensions for one year each, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

Agency officials put the contract out to bid in October. It was the first request for proposals since the state attempted to privatize child welfare statewide in 2009.

The collaborative, formed by Boys Town and other Omaha-area service providers, and Magellan Choices for Families submitted the only bids.

Bidders were judged on cost and other factors. The collaborative was ranked as the better bidder, including having the better cost structure.

Officials initially planned to choose a provider by Feb. 1, with the new contract to start on July 1. Although they pushed back the date for announcing the winner, they are still targeting a July 1 start date, said Doug Weinberg, children and family services director for HHS.

Weinberg said in October that the contract was being rebid because it is best practice to do so every five years with major contracts.

He said HHS is committed to continuing with a privatized approach to child welfare in Douglas and Sarpy Counties, even though a study commissioned by the Legislature concluded that privatization had not produced "any measurable benefit" for the state.

State employees manage child welfare cases in all other parts of the state after Nebraska's disastrous experiment with statewide privatization. Four of the five initial providers lost or dropped the contracts that were signed in 2009.

The collaborative is the only surviving contractor. Its contract has been expanded and extended multiple times. The most recent one-year extension, worth up to $60 million, expires June 30.

Officials now will work on negotiating the contract with the collaborative, barring any appeals from Magellan.

According to the request for proposals, the new contractor will be expected to handle cases in a way that supports child safety, prevents out-of-home placements and supports reunification and permanency for children.

The state will continue to handle calls to the state's child abuse and neglect hotline and to do initial assessments on calls.