The Red Willow County Through the Eyes of the Child team partnered with the Nebraska Court Improvement Project to host the first Upstream community mapping exercise on January 17^th and 18^th, 2024. Upstream is a community-based approach that leverages court resources, judicial leadership, child welfare and juvenile justice agency partnerships to enhance community collaboration to strengthen communities, prevent system involvement, and support safe and healthy families. The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has facilitated Upstream mapping workshops in three other states, but Nebraska is the first state to combine the needs of children, youth, and families involved in child welfare and youth justice systems.

Judge Anne Paine and Clerk Magistrate Linda Smith were critical leaders in convening local community members, who over the course of two days, reviewed local data, identified community resources and identified three priority areas. Moving forward, the Red Willow County Through the Eyes of the Child team will continue implementation of new practices and expanded services to meet the needs of families prior to formal system intervention.

Representatives from the Court Improvement Project and the Office of Dispute Resolution were trained by NCSC staff to allow the Upstream workshops to be held in other rural and frontier communities. For more information, contact Deb VanDyke-Ries, Director of Nebraska Court Improvement Project.