KVC BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE INC

Permanency: KVC Kansas represents one of the strongest and broadest child welfare and behavioral healthcare continuums in the nation. KVC is responsible for the care of all Kansas children who enter foster care in the Kansas City and East catchment areas (3 and 6). KVC provides ongoing case management, therapy, family education, advocacy, and support, transportation and six months of aftercare services following permanency to children, young adults and families. KVC uses evidence-based assessments and interventions such as Trauma Therapy, Structured Decision-Making Assessments, Team Decision Making (TDM), Connect Attachment Groups, and Safe & Connected to ensure family engagement and services delivered to the family match the level of need. Reunification: Whenever possible, timely reunification is always the goal when children enter foster care. KVC strongly believes that children belong with their family whenever safely possible; therefore, reunification work begins immediately with the family as Case Managers/Family Support Workers assess for strengths and needs related to risk and safety of the child using evidence-based assessments. Case plan tasks are individualized to meet the needs of each family served by KVC. Adoption: When children cannot be reunified with their parents, reaching permanency through adoption becomes the goal for that child. KVC understands that children can't wait; therefore, it is important to begin recruiting adoptive resources for children as soon as it becomes evident that a child will not be able to safely reunify with his/her parent. Adoptive resources are often relatives of that child, foster parents that have been caring for the child while he/she is in foster care, or community connections the child has made during his/her lifetime (schoolteachers, coaches, neighbors, etc.). For those children who do not have an identified adoptive resource, KVC ensures continued outreach to family and connections and placement of the child on both KVC's Adoption website and Adopt-KS-Kids. Independent Living: KVC provides all children 16 years and older with independent living skills even if the child's case plan goal remains reunification or adoption. These services include budgeting, housekeeping, cooking, driver's education information, and continued educational options (college, vo-tech, Job Corp, etc.). Aftercare: After children or young adults exit the foster care system, KVC provides six months of post-permanency support services to ensure children and young adults remain safe at home and in their community. KVC provides continued education, advocacy, therapy, and support for 6 months following the date of permanency for the child. Services include parenting education, case management, outreach to community supports, in addition to 24-hour crisis support to the child and family. Mental Health Services: KVC provides specialized mental health assessment and treatment including, individual, couple and family therapy, medication management, substance abuse assessment and treatment, and a batterer's intervention program.