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Kansas Department for Children and Families

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ser Amantio di Nicolao (talk | contribs) at 21:06, 22 May 2019 (Section heading change: Pre-Establishment → Pre-establishment using a script). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kansas Department of Children and Families
Great Seal of Kansas
Department overview
Formed1973
Preceding Department
  • Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services
JurisdictionState of Kansas
Headquarters555 S. Kansas Avenue
Topeka, Kansas 66603
Employees2,500 [1]
Annual budget$684 million [2]
Department executive
Websitewww.dcf.ks.gov

The Kansas Department for Children and Families (formerly the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services) is a state agency in Kansas, responsible for the delivery of social services to those in need of them.[4]

The agency was founded in 1973, and it is currently headed by Laura Howard.

History

Pre-establishment

The 1859 Wyandotte Constitution mandated that the state create and support institutions for “the benefit of the insane, blind, deaf and dumb, and such other benevolent institutions as the public good may require.”[5] As a result, the Kansas Insane Asylum was established in 1866 in Osawatomie.[6] Due to overcrowding, an additional asylum was approved, thus the Topeka State Hospital opened in 1879.

Establishment

The agency was first established in 1973 from then-Governor Docking's Executive Reorganization Order No. 1, which created the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.[7] Governor Docking then appointed Dr. Robert Harder as the first secretary of the agency. In that same year, legislation was passed to transfer all social welfare programs from the various counties to the new agency. The time it took to transfer the programs to the new umbrella agency was about nine months.[4]

Services

  • Child support services
  • Economic and employment services
  • Foster care
  • Prevention and protection services
  • Rehabilitation services

References

  1. ^ DCF's Budget pg.2
  2. ^ Kansas Budgetpg. 238–241
  3. ^ "'A true public servant': New Kansas child welfare leader vows openness, more resources". Kansas City Star. Kansas City Star
  4. ^ a b "Agency History - 1970's". Kansas Department of Children and Families. Agency History - 1970's
  5. ^ "Wyandotte Constitution". Kansas Memory. Kansas Constitution, Article VII, Section I
  6. ^ "Agency History - Pre-Executive Reorganization Order 1". Kansas Deptartment of Children and Families. Pre-Executive Reorganization Order 1
  7. ^ Gov. Docking's 1973 ERO