How Kansas Can continue to Protect and Serve System-Involved Children
Incarcerating young people, especially youth who exhibit mental and behavioral health issues, is ineffective policy with detrimental consequences. Utilizing data, this policy brief discusses how to support youth who are impacted by both youth justice and child welfare systems.
Published 2020-02-03The problems in Kansas’s foster care system are further traumatizing children and placing unsustainable stress on social workers. But it is important to use data to understand the full picture and guide efforts to fix it. None of the available data indicates that juvenile justice reform is contributing to problems in the foster care system.
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of Kansas youth– especially those who are system-involved—Kansans must look forward by making necessary changes to ensure children receive the behavioral and medical supports they need while letting the ongoing success of Senate Bill 367 continue.