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The reports, which range from September 2022 to little more than a month before her death, warned that the child wasn’t supervised, was living in a home without utilities and was around drugs, among other allegations. A 25-year-old man has since been charged with capital murder, first-degree murder and rape.
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Kansas was one of the first states in the country to access federal Family First prevention money. Programs it is funding have spent years growing.
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Two separate audits of the Kansas foster care system have found troubling trends in child welfare. After a 2018 lawsuit, which alleged that foster kids moved around so much they were essentially homeless, the state agreed to improve on a handful of metrics. But years later, the situation is just as bad — and in some cases, worse.
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An independent review of the state’s child welfare system published Monday shows the number of foster kids sleeping in offices last year increased by 54% compared to 2021.
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Audits of the Kansas foster care system raise concerns about mental health access, unreliable data and foster kids moving between homes too often.
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Missouri will now extend Medicaid benefits for new mothers from 60 days to a full year postpartum. Supporters of the new law say that without the extension some health problems could go untreated. Plus: There is only one facility in Kansas that deals with runaway foster kids. But critics of the program say it is only making the situation worse.
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Problems with foster care agencies was a common reasons parents stopped fostering.
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Geary County Secure Care can be ‘the last hope for these youth.’ But others say the jail-like facility only makes things worse.
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Legislation directs social services, mental health departments to collaborate on solutions to clients being boarded in medical and mental health facilities ‘without medical justification’
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Community mental health centers in Kansas are becoming certified. That means more money for providing services, which could bring expanded programs.
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An insufficient mental health care system pushes families in some states, including Kansas, to give up custody of their children for care. A program in place in New Jersey, Oklahoma and Washington may offer solutions.
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Appealing placement decisions to the Kansas Court of Appeals would mark a new, controversial step.