Over the last few years, a record number of children have entered Kansas’s foster care system. Sadly, at the same time, fewer children are exiting it and the number of adoptions involving children in state care has fallen to a six year low. The number of children in out-of-home foster care, which includes foster homes, relatives’ homes, psychiatric facilities, group homes, and juvenile detention facilities, has surpassed 5,700. This number has only been reached twice in the last ten years. The number of children who were available for adoption, meaning the birthparent’s rights have been terminated, approached 1,000, which officials believe may be the highest number yet.
Those involved with the foster care system in Kansas have many different theories for what is now becoming a foster care crisis. Lois Rice, executive director with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) with Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, revealed that in her two counties, the number of Child in Need of Care, or CINC, petitions had increased 60%. Many of these cases will result in placement of the child in an out-of-home foster care situation.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families attributes the high number of foster care children, and the low rate of adoption to the faltering economy and parental drug abuse. Agency officials stated they hoped a focus on preventative services would decrease the number of families who reach crisis level and require state intervention.
Policy Changes
Children’s advocates point out, however, that the number of kids entering and exiting foster care has remained steady over the past year, even as the economy has rebounded. They feel something else is afoot, leading to the state’s foster care crisis. These experts point to the recent change in the state’s policies that has resulted in thousands of families losing their welfare benefits as one potential factor. The loss of these benefits, according to some theorists, has left thousands of parents straining to care for their children. This, in turn, has increased the number of children ending up in foster care.
According to DCF reports, the number of Kansas families receiving cash assistance fell from 14,204 in 2011 to 7,790 in 2013. Similarly, the number of working parents receiving child care assistance dropped from 9,953 in 2011 to 8,163 in 2013. The policy changes limit eligibility for cash assistance to 48 months instead of 60 and require beneficiaries apply for at least 20 jobs a week. They also require parents maintain 30 hours a week to qualify for child care aid, instead of the previous 20. While these changes were intended to encourage more parents to work instead of relying on government assistance, they may have left some families financially struggling.
Adding to the problem, another DCF policy allows the agency to take away a family’s benefits if their child is truant. Interestingly, implementation of the policy seems to have correlated with a significant increase in kids entering the foster care system and a decrease in the number of children adopted. All in all, child advocates say, families across the state have been rendered more fragile by these policy changes, and the result is more children entering the system.
McDowell Chartered: Putting Children First
The Kansas Family Law Attorneys at McDowell Chartered have decades of experience assisting families in all manner of legal issues, from adoption and paternity to guardianship, conservatorship, and child in need of care cases. Since 1992, our compassionate attorney team has provided quality legal services to families throughout Kansas. No matter what your needs, if they involve children, we are here to serve you. Call us today at (316) 269-0746 for an initial consultation.
