Foster care services are for children and families in cases when a court has found the child to be in need of care and the parents are not able to meet the safety needs of their child. Most children who require foster care have been abused or neglected, and they have major developmental, physical and emotional needs that require a variety of services and care.
Some children who are not abused or neglected may be placed in foster care for reasons such as out-of-control behavior, failure to attend school, overwhelmed parents and running away from home. Foster children are most often placed with relatives or in qualified family foster homes, but some children need more structured settings such as a group home or a residential center. Kansas contracts with private agencies that are responsible for providing foster care services including case planning, placement, life skills and foster parent recruitment and training.
DCF social workers are responsible for keeping an eye on the safety and wellbeing of the children who are in foster homes and monitor the progress they are making toward being able to return to their family home or finding another permanent home.
Available Informational Brochures and Forms: