On Tuesday, alumni of Kansas’ foster care system celebrated the passage of legislation that will allow foster kids who are 16 or older to choose to stay with a family member or close friend — as opposed to bouncing from one temporary house to another or sleeping in office space.
Kansas Department for Children and Families secretary Laura Howard on Monday said the number of children in foster care has dropped, marking some improvement in the state’s long-criticized child welfare system.
The Lawrence school board on Monday approved two legal agreements: one that launches a partnership for a truancy prevention program, and another that establishes a partnership for a third party to facilitate some restorative justice agreements.
The state’s child welfare agency received multiple reports asking them to look into the case of a homeless 5-year-old before her death earlier this month.
The death of a homeless 5-year-old girl in Topeka has reignited anger and conversation about the efficacy of the state’s child welfare services.
An independent evaluation of the Kansas foster care system showed the state, for a second year in a row, failed to make progress in several key areas, and had even more children sleeping in offices than the previous year.
Almost 30,000 Kansans are still waiting to find out whether they’ll receive Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) funds. For some people, that’s meant accruing credit card debt or sacrificing medical care to keep the heat on.
More than 50 foster kids are missing in Kansas at a given time. The state said it is making progress to fix the problem, but critics say it could do more.
Kansas legislators leveled criticism at programs designed to serve children subjected to abuse or neglect, alleging attorneys fell short of expectations and asserting a volunteer initiative failed to mirror diversity of children served.
A 13-year-old foster child died after running away from an event in Independence, Kansas, stealing a car and crashing.
