When parents and professionals work together, real change happens. At KVC Kansas, we know that parents impacted by foster care have invaluable insights that can transform our services and the entire child welfare system for the better. That’s why we created the Engaging Parents Workgroup. This workgroup is a unique initiative that brings parents who have firsthand experience with foster care alongside KVC Kansas professionals to shape policies, programs and services.

This workgroup isn’t just about discussion: it’s about action. Parents are driving meaningful change, from influencing new policies and support programs to creating real resources that help families reunify after foster care. With their lived experience guiding the way, KVC Kansas is breaking barriers, strengthening families and transforming foster care for the better.

What is KVC Kansas’ Engaging Parents Workgroup?

The Engaging Parents Workgroup started in 2016 following an assessment by KVC Kansas President Linda Bass. The assessment revealed a key opportunity: Engaging with parents who had experienced foster care.

Dr. Linda Bass, KVC Kansas President

“Parents are the greatest stakeholders in their children’s lives,” explained Bass, “and within child welfare, we really can’t and shouldn’t do anything without parents, because they know their children best and have the best understanding of what’s needed to be healthy and successful.” 

Bass is so passionate about this workgroup that she facilitates the meetings personally! During meetings, the group discusses programs, policies, ideas and how we communicate about our services. With their partnership, we can transform and improve what foster care looks like in the future.

James B. is a founding member of KVC Kansas’ Engaging Parents Workgroup, a military veteran and a caring father who successfully reunified with his children after foster care. James believes in the power this group has to unite parents with similar experiences in making the process smoother and more successful for future families.

James B., Engaging Parents Workgroup Member & Parent Mentor

“We are all full of experience and knowledge and have lots of life education,” said James. “We all have great ideas, we support each other, we love each other. We love our kids and are all concerned about other families and kids dealing with the things that we went through.”

Why Parent Voices Matter in Child Welfare

Often, the stories we hear most are the success stories: stories of parents who have successfully reunified with outstanding experiences. But to make effective change, we need to understand the full picture, including more challenging experiences because child welfare is complex. Actively listening to parent voices and incorporating their feedback is vital to helping families safely reunify, which is always the ultimate goal of foster care.

Bass shares that some parents who join the group need a place to feel heard.

“We can’t create meaningful change unless parents and those who’ve experienced it, positively or negatively, are involved in the process,” said Bass. “It’s important to understand that lived experience.”

Workgroup Impact: How Parents Have Transformed Kansas Foster Care

The Engaging Parents Workgroup has played a pivotal role in transforming the experience of KVC Kansas clients—shaping how we help families reunify after foster care and driving meaningful, lasting policy change both within KVC Kansas and across the state.

Welcome Bag and Parent Inspiration Booklet

For parents or caregivers whose children are placed in foster care, the experience can be extremely destabilizing and lonely. It’s common to feel confused and unsure of where to turn for support.

James vividly remembers that feeling after his children entered into foster care and he felt lost in the aftermath. After returning from war, James faced PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), leading him to substance abuse.

“It was one of the lowest points in my life,” said James.

As James and parents like him in the workgroup share, they needed a sense of hope in that lowest moment. They needed to know it was possible to come out of the darkness and find joy on the other side.

With help from the Engaging Parents Workgroup, we developed a welcome bag given to every parent at their first contact with KVC Kansas. This bag provides information and opportunities for connection and hope, giving parents tangible support to start working toward reunification immediately.

Included in this welcome bag is a Parent Inspiration Booklet full of real stories from parents in the workgroup, sharing experiences and struggles, as well as the success they had in the end.

“It was an idea from our parents, and everybody contributed to it,” shared Bass. “They felt strongly that parents needed something they could physically hold onto, and we’ve continued to expand the booklet and make sure that every family receives a copy.”

Parent Mentorship Program

The Engaging Parents Workgroup has also become a springboard for our parent mentorship program. This program connects parents experiencing foster care with supportive mentors who have been in their shoes. We match parents with a mentor who can directly relate to their experiences and connect in an environment that is private, protected and not part of court documentation.

Bass explained, “It’s truly for the parent. The person they’re matched with is somebody who gets it and who can provide emotional support and help, giving them hope that there are brighter days in their future.”

This program provides a way for parents experiencing foster care to ask for help. Gabriella P., who has both experienced being a youth in foster care and having her child placed in foster care, shares how hard it is for a parent in these situations to accept that they need help.

Gabriella P., Engaging Parents Workgroup and Parent Mentor

“If you’re a parent going through this system, the last thing you want to tell anyone is that you’re still struggling, which stunts your growth and your ability to ask for help,” said Gabriella. “But asking for help is your superpower!”

Soul Family Legal Permanency

Several members of our Engaging Parents Workgroup partnered with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to help create legislation providing an alternative permanency route for youth in foster care who are close to aging out, now known as the SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option.

Unlike adoption or guardianship, this option does not require termination of parental rights. This option is tailored for youth aged 16 and older as they transition from foster care to adulthood. SOUL Family provides them with the anchor of nurturing, lifelong connections and family. A SOUL Family is composed of individuals who have formed bonds and connections with a youth or young adult.

Gabriella was involved in working on this policy change, which she described as a “monumental moment in advocacy.” Alongside other workgroup parents, Gabriella helped by proposing new ideas, leading focus groups and even sharing her testimony before the Senate Committee on Public Health and Welfare.

From left: Kansas advocates Gabriella P, Cory S, Marquan T, Nykia W, Carol R and Kassi M. Image courtesy of the Annie E. Casey Foundation

As someone who would have loved this option when she was a teen in foster care, Gabriella was thrilled to see it come to fruition.

“It means a lot that youth aging out of foster care or who just don’t need to be in foster care now have a legal policy and framework that makes it possible for them to not experience what I did,” said Gabriella.

Training Videos for Staff and Community Partners

Also underway are two new training videos to help child welfare professionals, foster parents and community partners better support families working toward reunification. No matter the circumstances behind a family’s involvement with child welfare, the experience is often traumatic and confusing.

These videos feature members of the Engaging Parents Workgroup sharing their personal experiences and offering advice on how professionals and foster parents can build trust, improve communication and create more positive experiences for both youth and parents.

The first video focuses on building trust and communication with parents. It demonstrates how listening without judgment, involving parents in case planning and supporting them makes a real difference. It also highlights common mistakes, like making assumptions about a parent’s story and provides practical ways to build respect and collaboration.

The second video centers on parent-child visits, which play a crucial role in reunification. It teaches the audience how to create a welcoming environment and ease anxieties before, during and after visits. The ultimate goal is to give staff and foster parents the skills to make visits as meaningful as possible.

Both videos aim to help child welfare professionals and community partners balance safety with support. This balance is key to ensuring families stay connected as they work toward reunification.

Built-In Support for Parents

The Engaging Parents Workgroup exists to inform changes and help parents who are still struggling. However, it has also become a place where parents find support.

“One powerful thing I have witnessed in the workgroup is parents showing up authentically for other parents and listening to their story along with the helping professionals, giving that time and space for individuals to feel heard,” said Bass.

Just as youth who experience foster care almost always experience trauma, parents do too. This workgroup has become a safe space where these parents find community and connection. Gabriella recalls how welcomed and included she felt right away.

“All of the other parents wrapped their arms around me and made me feel like my voice mattered,” shared Gabriella. “This wasn’t just a meeting that stayed in these walls, but this was going to have a ripple effect, that I would be able to make systematic change and reform.”

How to Get Involved with KVC Kansas’ Engaging Parents Workgroup

The Engaging Parents Workgroup is open to:

• Parents currently involved with foster care
• Parents or caregivers who have experienced child welfare in the past
• KVC Kansas team members
• Community members
• Advocates

Interested in joining the workgroup? Reach out to a KVC Kansas team member—like your case manager, therapist or family support worker—for more details. You can also email KVC Kansas to learn more.

Want to Do More to Help Families Safely Reunify & Transform Foster Care?

KVC Kansas team members

Just as we need parent voices to enact real change, we need passionate child welfare and mental health professionals to come alongside them and help support other families in safe reunification! Both Gabriella and James emphasized the impact their caseworkers and support team had on their ultimate success in reunification.

“They were the best team I could have had surrounding me during my child welfare case,” said Gabriella, whose family support worker referred her to the workgroup.

James sees the case managers at KVC Kansas as the real boots-on-the-ground changemakers.

“People look at me — a soldier in the army, a police officer — and my colleagues as if we’re heroes,” said James. “But the real heroes are the case managers at KVC.”

If you’re passionate about supporting families as they work toward reunification, visit our careers page to join our team! KVC is a great place to work. We even have an outstanding 82 Work Wellbeing score on Indeed—ranking us in the top 1% of employers nationally. Join a team that values you and makes a real difference every day!