May 27, 2004 - SRS Announces Child Welfare Contract RFPs

Topeka – Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS) Secretary Janet Schalansky announced Thursday that the Request For Proposals (RFPs) for the Community-Based Child Welfare Contracts have been issued. “The new contracts make improvements designed to both ensure there is as little disruption as possible in the lives of children and families as they move through the child welfare system, and to ensure the supports and services they need are received as expediently as possible,” said Schalansky.

SRS’s vision for children and families is to continue to build a child welfare system that is safe, secure and stable; family-centered; connected to community; and which relies on evidence-based practice. To ensure this vision was fully incorporated into the new child welfare contracts, the Child Welfare Contract Steering Committee met numerous times throughout the past year to produce an RFP which addresses concerns identified by stakeholders and participants in the child welfare system.

SRS contracted for community-based child welfare services in 1996 and is recognized as the first state in the nation to privatize child welfare services. Since that time other states have contracted for some of their child welfare services but no other state has contracted for all services.

The new contracts could be awarded as soon as January 2005 and implementation will take place July 1, 2005.