LINCOLN- A government watchdog this year wrapped up investigations into the deaths or serious injury of five youths who in some way were under the State of Nebraska’s eye. Results of the probes, along with recommendations, were part of the annual report from the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare, which examines activity and points out deficiencies in the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

The OIG in an earlier report this summer revealed the deaths, at different places and times, between December 2018 and December 2022. The account said that while the actions of state workers and caseworkers did not “contribute,” better support and consistent training in suicide prevention was needed for service providers and foster families. “We appreciate that DHHS accepted all the recommendations suggested by the OIG in our reports this year,” said Jennifer Carter, inspector general of child welfare.

Based on this year’s 522 incident reports and public complaints — which is an increase of about 15% over the previous year — the OIG identified the need to open nine new mandatory investigations. It is possible that the number of mandatory investigations will increase, as the watchdog noted it is “still waiting on records before being able to fully determine if certain incidents require mandatory investigation.”

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