ALYSSA SCHUKAR Families make a


Nebraska Lutherans offer 24/7 post-adoption care By Jo Ann Dollard


“ I


t was a sad day in Nebraska when families felt so unsup- ported and ill-equipped as parents that they dropped off their children at ERs,” said Ruth Henrichs, president and CEO of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska. The state’s safe haven law captured national attention in 2008. Desperate parents dropped off 35 children (a dispropor- tionate number were adopted foster children, including teens) at safe sites statewide.


What this revealed was a significant need for post- adoption services, particularly for families of older chil- dren with mental health issues. Research bears this out as well, say leaders of the Lutheran agency. Enter Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska and the Nebraska Children’s Home Society, which together devel- oped Right Turn, a program that in January 2010 began


Dollard is a freelance writer in Chicago. 28 The Lutheran • www.thelutheran.org


Paris (left), Mary and Javier walk near a busy road in Omaha, Neb. Thanks to Right Turn, Mary receives support and services as a parent who adopted foster children.


offering 24/7 support and services for any family that adopts a foster child (www.rightturnne.org).


Funded by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Right Turn has six permanency support spe- cialists and three clinicians who offer six core services: intensive case man- agement, mental health referrals, respite care, training and education, support groups and peer mentoring. With a $1.2 million budget, Right


Turn has proven effective in improving stability for children previously in fos- ter care. It won the 2011 Excellence in Adoption Award from the U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services. As of September 2012, Right Turn has served 577 families and 1,181 children. Of those families, only two ended their parenting commitment. When she called Right Turn for help


‘Right Turn’


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