Right Turn received a 2011 Adoption Excellence Award in the category Support for Adoptive Families.  The program is recognized for the extraordinary contributions it has made in providing adoption and other permanency outcomes for children in foster care. The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established the Adoption Excellence Awards program in 1997 to recognize outstanding accomplishments in achieving permanency for America’s children waiting in foster care.

Right Turn, a collaborative program of Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska and the Nebraska Children’s Home Society, has served 375 families since January 2010.  These cases involved 900 children, over one-third of which were aged 13-17.

The Safe Haven Crisis uncovered a serious issue which had been previously unaddressed: lack of ongoing support for those families who adopted children out of the foster care system.  Right Turn was established to provide this 24/7 case management and crisis management, as well as referrals when behavioral health treatment is needed. Right Turn also offers peer mentoring and training, as well as support groups and respite care.

To learn more about Right Turn, visit www.rightturn.org.