Youth
Youth
Thousands of young people each year are involved in the Nebraska juvenile court system. Many are young children under the age of 5 who were removed because their parents could not properly care for them. Some are older youth who enter through the juvenile justice process. However, the experiences of all young people, whether babies or teenagers, are important information for courts in their decisionmaking.
For older children who are able to verbally express their thoughts and opinions, forms and processes have been developed to allow them to do so. For young children, attending court can still be useful even though they are non-verbal. Read more information on Children Attending Court.
Two separate guides for older youth on the in's and out's of the juvenile court system. One guide explains the juvenile justice court process and who is involved, and the other outlines child welfare court processes. It also discusses permanency and placement options and how to plan for the future. All young people above the age of 12 are encouraged to read it, possibly with the assistance of their caseworker or Guardian ad Litem.
Download the PDFs here:
What Now? Juvenile Justice Guide
Additional resources can be found below.