In 1996, Kansas launched the nation's most sweeping attempt to radically transform the child welfare system by privatizing the delivery of family preservation, foster care and adoption services. Five years later, state officials can justifiably point to improvements in child welfare. Improvements include more investigations and findings of abuse and neglect, statewide availability of family preservation services and a much better rate of adoption dissolutions than the rate for the nation. Instability and transition do not necessarily mean the reform effort has failed or that the system is on the verge of collapse. It is clear, however, that in spite of significant increases in funding we are far from having a child welfare system that measures up to citizens' expectations for how Kansas should care for abused and neglected children.
Further improvements are necessary and possible.
There are models for these and other necessary improvements. We know much of what needs to be done and what can be done to create a better system. Creating broad citizen and policymaker support for further improvements needs to begin with greater SRS and contractor accountability. Gary Brunk is the executive director of Kansas Action for Children. Offer to let teens 'shadow' you for a day at work.