LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The number of state wards in Nebraska has fallen nearly 14 percent since March 2012.
The state Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that Nebraska had 5,284 wards as of July 15th. In March 2012, the state had 6,121 wards.
Thomas Pristow, director of the Children and Family Services division, says workers in Nebraska's five service areas have adopted a new approach that focuses on providing more in-home services. Pristow says the state has also increased its monthly face-to-face meetings between wards and caseworkers.
Pristow says the highest number of state wards was 7,803 in April 2006. The number of wards fell below the 6,000 mark in 2012.
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