Health at the Capitol

Special and Joint Interim Committees 2024

The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. Each legislative session, KHI is hard at work keeping you informed on the latest health policy discussions from across the street, in downtown Topeka.

Health at the Capitol is a KHI production – a monthly recap with our legislative monitoring team –offering you a closer look at policy work happening now in Kansas and coming up.

Nov. 13-14, 2024

Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight

By Valentina Blanchard, M.P.H., L.M.S.W.

The Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight met on Nov. 13-14, 2024, and received testimony regarding Kansas’s child welfare system challenges and strategies for improvement. Topics discussed included systemic issues in placement stability, workforce capacity and mental health services. Key presentations included the McIntyre v. Howard settlement agreement update (class action lawsuit alleging extreme placement disruption and inadequate mental health care for foster children), strategies for safely narrowing entry into the child welfare system and updates from the Office of the Child Advocate.

Presenters highlighted ongoing issues with placement instability, including short-term and night-to-night placements, and barriers to achieving stable, safe foster care environments. Mental health access for children in care remains a concern for advocates, with delays exacerbated by placement instability. The Committee also heard updates on family preservation and case management efforts, highlighting progress but underscoring workforce shortages and recruitment challenges for foster families.

Committee members discussed recommendations, including enhanced oversight of contractors, improved data infrastructure and workforce investments, particularly for therapeutic and mental health services. Testimony on day two shared updates on family preservation programs and the need for targeted recruitment of foster homes, especially in underserved areas. Presenters highlighted the disproportionate impact on children of color and systemic challenges, such as lack of coordination between service providers and DCF. The committee discussed timely mental health treatment, addressing gaps in mandatory and anonymous reporting processes and prioritizing early kin placement to ensure stability. Committee members also discussed enhancing permanency hearing timelines, strengthening workforce pipelines through university partnerships and providing legislative support to law enforcement in child welfare-related cases going into the next legislative session.