Nebraska
What Nebraska reported to the federal government about the children in its custody and the children it investigated. Where a year says not reported, that is the record.
The funnel, FFY 2024
Nebraska vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in Nebraska in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | Nebraska | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 40,002 | 82.6per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 13,77934.4% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 26,22365.6% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 27,867 | 57.5per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 2,645 | 5.5per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 3 | 0.62per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What Nebraska does not report
For the measures on this page, Nebraska reported a figure in every year covered. That is not the same as the figures being complete or comparable — see the methodology for what the federal record does not measure at all.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, Nebraska, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, Nebraska, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 586 | 461 | 533 | 483 | 546 | 564 | 560 | 433 | 368 | 392 |
| Entered foster care | 2,708 | 2,204 | 2,351 | 2,521 | 2,644 | 1,869 | 2,209 | 2,069 | 2,032 | 1,929 |
| Exited foster care | 3,188 | 2,673 | 2,231 | 2,174 | 2,369 | 2,438 | 2,137 | 1,874 | 1,676 | 1,798 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 4,561 | 3,666 | 3,725 | 4,012 | 4,195 | 3,524 | 3,506 | 3,605 | 3,835 | 3,873 |
| Children served in foster care | 7,749 | 6,339 | 5,956 | 6,186 | 6,564 | 5,962 | 5,643 | 5,479 | 5,511 | 5,671 |
| Termination of parental rights | 407 | 463 | 455 | 463 | 451 | 497 | 453 | 405 | 457 | 433 |
| Waiting for adoption | 705 | 692 | 709 | 715 | 771 | 817 | 689 | 658 | 755 | 807 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 1,716 | 1,870 | 1,939 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 3,610 | 3,667 | 3,599 |
| Exited foster care | 1,780 | 1,742 | 1,922 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
Nebraska in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
- From Classrooms to Homeless Shelters: How Our Choices Hurt Children
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMarch 24, 2026
Compared to other advanced nations America treats children and the people who care for them as an afterthought and then acts surprised when our schools and child‑welfare systems are overwhelmed with troubled children suffering from health a...
- Deregulation & the Child Abuse Abolition Movement
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJanuary 15, 2026
There is a growing abolition / “dismantle CPS” movement in the U.S., but so far it is more rhetorical and advocacy‑driven than implemented in statute, and no state has fully “deregulated” or abolished CPS. Advocates, scholars, and campaign...
- Manner of Child Death Unknown (State by State)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 23, 2025
WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK and most of all, your State Representative (find them here) change will come a little bit faster. When enough of us become informed and speak up for abused and neglected chi...
- Child Abuse Sad Stories (4 days in October)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 9, 2025
37% of children overall and 44% of Black children are reported to child protection services in America by the time they turn 18. (American Journal of Public Health 1.17) 7.8 million children a year are reported to child protection services.
- CASA Volunteers Save Money (Multiple State Investigation Results)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 2, 2025
The following CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) investigations demonstrate the cost savings and economic impact of CASA programs in child protection across the nation. They do not include the value a trained community volunteer brings...
- Links to Facts and Happenings in Child Protection and Public Health
KARA reportingMike TikkanenMay 2, 2025
This is a snapshot of changes being made to the safety net for child protection, public health and education. Please take a few minutes and show your support for those programs and policies you know to be of value to the weakest and most vu...
- Child Abuse Investigations & Reforms
KARA reportingMike TikkanenOctober 15, 2024
WHEN YOU Share KARA’s reporting with FRIENDS, INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK and most of all, your State Representative (find them here) change will come a little bit faster. When enough of us become informed and speak up for abused and neglected chi...
- Child Welfare News Fall 2024 (compiled articles)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenSeptember 12, 2024
KARA compiles child abuse and neglect stories and data about abused and neglected children