KVC Health Systems

Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel was hired in early December to assume leadership of the beleaguered Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). The department has come under scrutiny in the last year after a July 2016 state audit of the foster care system highlighted areas of concern, including lack of adequate oversight of contractors providing foster care services.

An audit of the Kansas foster care system found the state doesn’t ensure children are placed close to home or receive all services they need. The Legislature’s independent auditing team presented the third part of its report on the Kansas foster care system Friday to the Legislative Post Audit Committee.

After several years of planning, a nonprofit child welfare service provider is preparing to launch the nation’s first-ever college for foster youth. KVC Health Systems plans to open its yet-to-be-named campus in January 2018 in Montgomery, West Virginia.