Frequently Asked Questions

The first step is to complete a 30-hour training class called, “Trauma-Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanency – Model Approach for Partnerships in Parenting (TIPS-MAPP).” To find out when a TIPS-MAPP class is being offered near you, please contact us.

Trauma-Informed Partnering for Safety and Permanency – Model Approach for Partnerships in Parenting (TIPS-MAPP) is required for all potential foster and adoptive families by Kansas Statute.  The class is meant to build skills for parenting abused and neglected children who have behavioral, emotional, physical, or educational difficulties.  TIPS-MAPP also helps the participant decide if fostering and/or adopting is right for their family, and it helps KVC determine if your family is able to meet a child’s needs by fostering or adopting.

All adults residing in the home who will participate in the parenting and care of children are required to take TIPS-MAPP together.

TIPS-MAPP allows each family to have two absences total but meetings during weeks two and five are mandatory. That means one spouse/partner can miss two meetings if the other attends all or they both can miss one. Your co-leaders will determine the best way for you to make up the information that you missed. If a family misses one of these meetings, they will be required to make up the class during another TIPS-MAPP session. Please note that even with the make-up session, this would still count toward the two absences.

Yes. Before you are eligible to receive a foster care license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), you will be required to complete First Aid and CPR, Medication Administration, and Universal Precautions trainings.  Once you become a foster family, you will be required to complete continuing education hours based on the level of care you provide.  These hours are to be completed prior to renewing your foster care license each year.  KVC offers numerous trainings throughout the year to make it simple and convenient for foster families to complete these training hours.

No. You may contact KVC at a later time if you do not wish to license immediately. However, you may be required to re-take TIPS-MAPP if you do not begin the licensing process in a timely fashion.

No. KVC cannot guarantee placement of foster children. There are many children of all ages waiting for foster homes. KVC works to match the needs of the children with the skills and ability of the foster family.

The children range in ages from birth to twenty-one years.  Our teenage population has the greatest need for loving families at this time. We also have a need for families to care for sibling groups of three or more children.

Yes. KVC’s Admissions Department will contact you to request the placement of a child in your home, and this is an opportunity for you to ask questions and find out more about the child or children.  You may say, “No” to any placement for any reason.  KVC has a database meant to alert Admissions staff to what types of children you are interested in fostering.  You can only accept children who fall within your licensing capacity.

 KVC considers our foster family program to be a volunteer service; however, we reimburse at a rate of $20 per day for each child.  The reimbursement is paid monthly via direct deposit and meant to subsidize for care of the child.  Each of the children in the custody of the State of Kansas receives a medical card when they are removed from their family home.  Some children are also covered under their family’s private insurance.

We require our foster families to become actively involved in the work that is done to help reintegrate a child with their birth family.  This may involve contact with the family during parent-child visitations, case planning conferences, school meetings and events, court hearings, and many other instances as long as it is in the best interest of the child and foster family. This topic is covered in TIPS-MAPP classes.

Each foster family has an assigned Family Service Coordinator to assist with day-to-day questions and emergencies. Also, we are available 24/7 by phone to assist with emergencies.

The immediate goal for each child is to reintegrate them into a safe and stable environment with their birth family.  The child’s placement in foster care depends on the progress of the case plan.

Confidentiality laws prohibit us from releasing further information about the child after they leave your care.  If the child is subsequently placed in another foster home or residential facility, it is left to the case manager’s discretion as to whether continued contact is in the child’s best interest.  If the child is reintegrated or adopted, this decision is given to his/her birth or adoptive parents.

You must be able to pass a child abuse check and fingerprint criminal background check through the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Any convictions listed on the Declaration of No Prohibitive Offenses for KDHE Licensure would prohibit you from becoming a foster or adoptive parent. In some cases, even a diversion for the listed offenses will also prohibit you from becoming a foster or adoptive parent. You and your home must be able to meet KDHE guidelines and have sufficient income to care for a child. In addition, licensure of your home is at the discretion of your sponsoring agency (KVC) and KDHE.

KVC offers monthly trainings, provides information to our foster parents about community resources and assists foster parents with basic school supplies and holiday gifts for children in foster care.  KVC would not be able to provide all of these supports without donations from the community. To learn how you can get involved by supporting foster parents in your community, click here!

Full licensure can take up to six months. If you complete all required trainings and application paperwork in a timely manner, you could potentially receive a temporary license to take placement within 30 to 60 days of your application submission to KDHE.