(AP) — Nebraska’s efforts to reform its child welfare system are stabilizing, but the state continues to handle most cases and challenges remain.

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently agreed to a new contract with the Nebraska Families Collaborative in Omaha.

Under the new deal, Nebraska Families Collaborative will receive $350,000 more. That should help it break even while handling 40 percent of the child welfare cases in the state.

After the state began transferring control of child and family services to private contractors in 2009, it lost most of the contractors after some complained the state wasn’t paying enough.

DHHS CEO Kerry Winterer says the system is improving. And the number of state wards has declined to 5,350 from about 6,000 last year.