September 22, 2025
TOPEKA — Kansas for the fourth straight year failed to meet legal requirements to improve the severe instability of the foster care system or provide mental health services to children who need them, according to an annual report from an independent evaluator.
The failings include an alarming spike in the number of kids who were stuck sleeping in offices, minimal progress in the high rate in which kids who enter the foster care system are moved from one location to another, and the one-third of foster kids who need but don’t receive mental health services.
“The report should be a wake-up call for anyone who cares about the well-being of children in Kansas,” said Leecia Welch, deputy legal director at Children’s Rights, which is part of Kansas Appleseed’s legal team.
“Each of these data points reflects a child whose life is in limbo — not knowing where she will sleep that night, missing school, and disconnected from family and friends,” Welch added.