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Kansas DCF: foster care caseload down, Family First prevention credited; permanency and placement metrics flagged for improvement
Summary
Department for Children and Families leaders briefed the House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care on current foster care volumes, prevention programs under Family First and key outcomes including placement types, length of stay and federal performance gaps.
Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard and Deputy Secretary Tonya Keyes told the House Committee on Child Welfare and Foster Care that foster care entries and the overall caseload have fallen in recent years, and that the agency credits expanded prevention services under the federal Family First Prevention Services Act for much of the decline.
"Our mission is to protect children, strengthen families, and promote adult self sufficiency," Secretary Laura Howard said as she opened the department's overview of child welfare services and recent trends.
The presentation said 2,578 children entered foster care in 2024 and that the point-in-time foster care population on Dec. 31, 2024, stood at about 5,574 children. Deputy Secretary Tonya Keyes said the statewide foster care population has decreased more than 25% since 2018 as exits from care have exceeded new entries.
Howard and Keyes emphasized prevention work, especially programs created under Family First. "We know that 90% of children and youth who've been referred to Family First have remained safely in their home without the need for foster care 12 months after the time of their referral,"…
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