Through increased attention to the plight of children in Kansas, the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) believes outcomes for children can and will improve. It is for this reason that several major program changes within the agency have been initiated.

SRS Secretary Rochelle Chronister said the safety and well-being of the state's children is her first priority. This priority is a major reason behind two major initiatives she has undertaken since she took over as head of the agency: the privatization of several social service programs and the KansasWorks welfare reform program.

Secretary Chronister praised Kansas Action for Children for its efforts to call attention to the plight of children through the Data Book. She did, however, express concern that Kansas Action for Children found fault with SRS for lack of data on child abuse and neglect when in fact that data is available. (Information on abuse and neglect reports by Kansas county for the time period in the Data Book is attached.)

"It is the agency's responsibility to respond to reports of child abuse and neglect and to monitor trends," she said.

It is because protection of children from abuse and neglect is the top priority of the agency that Secretary Chronister chose to privatize foster care, family preservation and adoption programs. The privatization partnerships will move services previously provided by state workers to not-for-profit agencies from the private sector.

"This frees up state workers to concentrate on the important job of responding to initial

abuse and neglect," Secretary Chronister said. "Privatization allows us to separate out reports of other social service functions and concentrate efforts to make sure children do not fall through the cracks."

With each of the contracts signed, SRS has set up outcome measurements to have a way to judge the effectiveness of programs. These outcome measures will be closely monitored, especially concerning abuse and neglect reports.

Another positive trend for children is rapidly decreasing number of Kansas citizens on public assistance. The number of persons receiving cash assistance has dropped 20 percent since September, 1995.

As Kansas Action for Children points out, some of this can be attributed to the good Kansas economy. But not all, according to Secretary Chronister.

"We initiated a 'work-first' mentality within SRS two years ago, and it is having a positive effect," she said. "People no longer see the SRS office as a place to find public assistance. With the KansasWorks program, they see it as a place to find work."

The 'work first' mentality is helpful to children in numerous ways, Chronister said.

"Parents who have a direction in their lives become a role model for their children," she said. "Work also builds the self-esteem of parents. This in turn lets them model better behavior for children."

A number of other indicators in the Kansas Kids Count Data Book are also expected to be positively effected by recent changes being made in the state's social service system.

*SRS and other state agencies are collaborating on programs to increase immunization rates for children. The agency has on-site immunization clinics for clients in Wichita and Topeka, and a mobile van for immunization is kept at the SRS Kansas City office. SRS also automatically notifies clients when children in families receiving assistance are due for immunization.

*SRS provides poverty level programs in its Division of Adult and Medical Services that promote pre-natal care for pregnant women and children. The agency promotes the Kan Be Healthy program that provides medical and dental services for children under the federal/state Medicaid program.

*Child care availability for low-income parents is expected to increase as federal and state funding was increased. SRS also recently increased provider rates for child care, which is expected to encourage more child care providers to provide child care to children receiving assistance from the agency. In collaboration with other state and local agencies, SRS is also engaged in a number of activities designed to enhance the quality of existing programs.

*Using new Head Start collaboration grant funding, SRS is working with other partners to increase the availability of this program statewide. Contrary to the information reported in the Data Book, Head Start program is providing assistance for more children in recent years.

*SRS is collaborating with a number of other agencies on the STOP TASK FORCE, which was created to develop a strategy for Kansas to address requirements of the federal welfare reform bill to prevent and reduce out of wedlock births with a special emphasis on teen pregnancy.

*SRS is also involved in a program called The Children's Initiative, aimed at providing needed services to children with severe emotional disturbance. The agency is collaborating with Community Mental Health Centers and other agencies involved in the state's mental health system with this initiative.

"We believe we are moving forward on many fronts to improve the lives of Kansas children," Secretary Chronister said. "Although there is much more to do, I am proud of the efforts of agency workers to help our most important customers, our children."

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001