Christie Appelhanz: Work to do on foster care

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Kansas’ bold decision to privatize its child welfare system – the first state in nation to do so. The transition was chaotic and painful, but independent reviews show it worked.

We moved from a system in crisis to one where kids no longer lingered in foster care. In the first year, for example, Kansas saw a 44 percent increase in number of finalized adoptions and a whopping 81 percent increase in the second year.

Private providers exceeded targets set by the state and achieved national leadership in federal child welfare standards. Today our state continues to lead the nation in best practices. In fact, Kansas was recently recognized as one of the top five states to provide foster care in a familylike setting as opposed to group placements.

We’ve come a long way thanks to competition, incentives, innovation and some incredibly dedicated staff. But it’s not enough. Improvements and calamities can happen simultaneously in systems as complex as child welfare, and the challenges keep coming.

Kansas is one of 34 states experiencing an increase in the number of children in foster care. As the state has commendably decreased incarceration of low-risk juveniles, many youths have landed in the child welfare system. This comes at a time when prevention and early intervention services for mental health, addiction and financial security have been scaled back.

Though it’s tempting to point fingers, placing blame won’t fix the problems. Addressing the communitywide issues facing kids in the system through no fault of their own is not something one person or committee or agency can solve.

Where do we start now to continue our leadership in taking care of Kansas kids? The first steps include more adults stepping up to serve as foster and adoptive families. We also need more businesses offering internships, apprenticeships and jobs to youths preparing to exit the child welfare system, and more legislators digging deep into understanding and prioritizing the needs of children and youths.

Then, and only then, can we build a world where every single Kansas child has a good shot at a successful, productive future. Let’s get started.

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Christie Appelhanz: Work to do on foster care."