Teresa Woody, of Kansas Appleseed, appears for a Sept. 6, 2024, recording of the Kansas Reflector podcast. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
TOPEKA — Kansas’ foster care agency had mediation sessions earlier this year to address deficiencies after a 2024 report revealed the state had backslid.
Foster care providers, government agencies and advocacy organizations anticipate a September release of the updated annual, independent review of Kansas’ foster care system, which was mandated after the state settled a class-action lawsuit with a group of former foster children who alleged systemic failures.
The confidential mediation sessions in January attempted to gauge whether the Kansas Department for Children and Families could make progress on the terms of the settlement agreement that requires the state to meet certain benchmarks, said Teresa Woody, litigation director for the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice and one of several attorneys representing foster children in their lawsuit against the state.
“The desire is not to punish the state,” Woody said in an Aug. 6 interview. “The desire is to have the state do what’s necessary to provide for kids in foster care so those kids can go on to live meaningful lives.”
The mediation sessions were the first to take place since the state reached the agreement in 2020.
The progress reports evaluate the state of Kansas’ foster care system based on five performance improvement goals, among other outcomes. Those goals include ending the practice of children sleeping in non-licensed facilities like offices and hotels, ceasing night-to-night and short-term placements, ensuring children aren’t overcrowded in their placements, preventing housing-related delays in mental health services, and providing child-focused crisis services across the state.
“We’re looking for progress — progress over time — and we’re looking for consistency and accountability,” Woody said. “I think it’s been very uneven.”
The backslide in 2023 is a concern, Woody said. It was preceded by what appeared to be improvements, but she said the agreement lacks accountability.
Some parts of the system are doing better than others, and Woody said she is particularly concerned about the areas that are not performing well and leaving foster children at risk.
A representative for the Kansas Department for Children and Families was unavailable for a comment.
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