TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Child welfare advocates in Kansas are pushing for an independent agency to monitor the state’s troubled foster care system.
The nonprofit advocacy group Kansas Appleseed, with support from some lawmakers, wants the state to create an Office of the Child Advocate to investigate complaints and track child welfare agencies, primarily the state Department for Children and Families, which oversees the foster care system.
Legislation creating the office has been introduced for three years, getting its first hearing — but no vote — this year.
