TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Approximately $20 million has been awarded to Kansas organizations for programs to bring families together and keep children out of foster care.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday, February 14 that to strengthen her commitment to children and families in the Sunflower State, a new set of family prevention grants totaling nearly $20 million has been awarded. dollars. These grants will create and help grow programs that are designed to keep families together and keep children from entering foster care.
Governor Kelly noted that current Family First Prevention programs have proven effective and have helped more than 3,000 children in Kansas stay with their families and stay out of foster care.
“Family First programs have been proven to keep families together, improve outcomes for our children in the long run, and save government money down the road. They’ve contributed to the nearly 20 percent decline in the total number of foster children since the beginning of my administration,” Kelly said. “That’s why we’ve been working across the hall to direct state and federal funding toward expanding these successful programs”.
In 2019, Kelly said Kansas became one of the first states to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act, a bipartisan federal legislation that allows states to direct federal foster care funds to prevention programs designed to keep families together. families. The governor commended the legislature for its support and cooperation to create this legislation.
“None of this would have been possible without the bipartisan support of the legislature, which recognized the importance of the Family First Prevention Services Act,” Governor Kelly said. “Working through the corridor, we passed a budget that increased funding for Family First by more than $5 million so we could pull even more federal funds.”
The Governor indicated that the Kansas Department of Children and Families has used these funds to address mental health, build parenting skills, prevent substance use and help family members who serve as primary caregivers.
“I could not be more proud of the work DCF and our partner agencies have done on behalf of Kansas families,” said Laura Howard, DCF secretary. “We know that Family First programs are a major factor in the overall reduction of children in foster care in Kansas, with nearly 90 percent of children receiving services staying at home with their families without needing foster care.”
Kelly said the new grants expand the number of providers from 11 to 14 and the multisystem therapy system across the state. They will also fund new substance use disorder services and parenting skills development partners, as well as include new primary prevention programs.
The Governor said the following organizations have received funding:
Agency Client-Based Treatment and Recovery Teams $921,606Kansas Children’s Service Leaguepart-Child Assistance Child Assistance Program $310,344.98kvcstranging Families of $200,000 $414.54.92.95.92 GUILIGHY SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE SERVICE SERVICES 5,000 . Families America $1.555. ServicesChildren 2 Kin$ 324,158
- Primary prevention programs
AgencyEvidence-Based ProgramAwardKansas Legal ServicesParent Advocate Program$1,094,577Sedgwick Co. Sheriff’s Office Community Support Specialist$85,359
