Establishing the Office of the Child Advocate Policy Brief

face of a young child smiling

This brief lays out the case for why Kansas needs an office of the child advocate, what the office can do for Kansas kids, and how the office would generate cost savings by reducing the number of kids in care.

Published 2021-02-01

From the policy brief: “Kansas kids in foster care need action from elected leaders. The Office of the Child Advocate was recommended by the 2018 Child Welfare System Task Force Working Groups after a comprehensive study of Kansas's child welfare system. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) notes Kansas is one of few states that doesn't currently have either an OCA or any mechanism to address concerns about children’s services. According to the United States Ombudsman Association, which outlines best practices for government oversight, ‘Independence is a core defining principle of an effective and credible’ watchdog mechanism.”

Update: In October 2021, Governor Laura Kelly established the Division of the Child Advocate! Read more about the work at childadvocate.ks.gov.