ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There has been much work going on to update the Kansas child welfare system, and according to a recent report, there has been positive progress in that.
According to a release from the State of Kansas, foster children receiving mental health and trauma screenings by qualified, trained professionals within 30 days of entering care continues to increase, according to the independent Neutral Third Party in the McIntyre class action lawsuit settlement.
“My administration is committed to improving Kansas’ foster care system to ensure all Kansas children have the resources they need to live healthy lives,” Gov. Laura Kelly noted in the State of Kansas release. “The latest Neutral Report shows we have made great progress on our child welfare system, but there is more work to be done to improve access to mental health services. I am encouraged that we have reduced the need for traditional foster care as more children are living with relatives or kin. We will continue to find ways to address the needs of our most vulnerable children.”
The McIntyre class action lawsuit was filed in 2018 under the Colyer Administration by Kansas Appleseed, Children’s Rights, and the National Center for Youth Law against the Governor, Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the State of Kansas release continued.
“The parties agreed to a settlement in 2020. The settlement was structured to ensure Kansas would achieve substantial progress and compliance in key performance areas over a multi-year period. Performance areas include accountability, reporting and implementation, practice improvements, and outcomes,” the State of Kansas release noted. “The settlement recognizes that the outcomes and practice improvements will not all be accomplished in one year. Outcome goals were set for a three-to-four-year period. This report comes as DCF continues to make significant progress on the well-being of children and families connected to the foster care system. Overall, the need for foster care has reduced by 24 percent in the past five years. More children are living with relatives and kin, and more budget resources are in place to build therapeutic family foster homes. This third report by The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP), the independent Neutral Third Party, covers data from calendar year 2023.”
The release went into more details about the report.
“The latest report shows 69 percent of children and youth in DCF custody received timely mental health and trauma screenings, which is a 35 percent improvement since 2021,” the State of Kansas release noted. “The report also shows in 52 percent of the cases reviewed, children and youth had their mental and behavioral needs addressed. Additionally, of the children who needed mental health or behavioral health services, 80 percent did not see a delay in mental health treatment being provided due to placement instability. The State remains committed to making practice improvements to increase placement stability and improve access to mental health services for foster care children and youth. There’s a small cohort of youth experiencing extreme instability – and they’re often the ones who end up with overnight stays in offices.”
Other state leaders also gave their thoughts on the report.
“I want to put a focus on that cohort of youth to identify ways to get them the individual services they need to find stability and have a positive transition into adulthood,” DCF Secretary Laura Howard noted in the State of Kansas release. “I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken and the changes made so far to improve our state’s child welfare system, but I recognize this is a process, and there is more work to be done. We’re continuously assessing the barriers we face in certain areas and looking for creative solutions and community partnerships that will help us continue making meaningful change and ultimately improving the lives of the Kansas children and families we serve.”
This report is just the latest in work going on to help make improvements to the system, the State of Kansas release continued.
“In 2021, DCF launched a statewide mobile crisis helpline, referred to as the ‘Family Mobile Crisis Response Helpline.’ In 2022, the state launched the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Moreover, local community mental health centers have been completing certification as community behavioral health clinics, which certification brings increased federal reimbursement and a wider array of services,” the State of Kansas release noted. “In September 2023, DCF issued a request for proposals to increase the capacity of therapeutic family foster homes (TFFH). TFFH receives increased training and supportive services to provide a temporary home for youth with significant emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs. Contracts were awarded to seven agencies in March 2024. Currently, there are seven providers with more than 20 family foster homes approved to provide care at a therapeutic level.”
Other highlights of the report include:
• Nearly 99 percent of family foster homes and nearly 100 percent of relative or kin placement did not exceed licensed capacity without an approved exception.
• In 2023, the number of children and youth experiencing temporary overnight placement or failure to place went down from 141 instances in 2022 to 68 instances in 2023.
• Regarding the goal that 85 percent of children in care have one or fewer moves in a 12-month period, CY 2023 reflects the State is just shy of that goal at 83 percent.
Those interested in the full CY 23 report can access it via the Center for the Study of Social Policy Web site.
