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.
State Sen. Molly Baumgardner called on the Department for Children and Families on Tuesday to stop placing kids with one of its contractors and to claw back $12 million in tax dollars following several high-profile mistakes.
An independent evaluation of the Kansas foster care system shows the state is improving the stability of children in state custody but breaking its promise to end the practice of children sleeping in offices overnight.
Changes in state law should help expand mental health services, but it will take years to get everyone on board.
HHS Office of Inspector General,
More than 7% of Kansas foster children went missing during a 30-month period, according to a new federal watchdog’s report that places the state’s rate of runaways among the highest in the nation.
Foster children still regularly sleep in offices instead of homes despite the Kansas Department for Children and Families settling a lawsuit by agreeing to end the practice.
Former Saint Francis Ministries CEO Robert Smith exploited a lack of financial controls and board oversight to drain the nonprofit’s resources on an IT project and escalating management expenses that included use of taxpayer funds for personal travel, liquor and entertainment.
A mother’s testimony about failure of the state’s child support collection system to deliver more than $53,000 owed by her daughter’s father inspired a rousing assault by legislators on state contractors Maximus and YoungWilliams.
The influence of institutional racism in the Kansas child welfare system can be depicted with statistics showing Black children were disproportionately investigated and removed from the home as well as reports demonstrating more rapid reunification of white children with their families.
