- Services
Core Services
Families First
Children and teens belong with their own families whenever possible. KVC works to safely reunify hundreds of families each year by providing parenting skills training, therapy and other support.
Caring People Needed
On any given day, KVC Kansas provides out-of-home care for thousands of children and teens. Relatives, non-related kin like teachers and neighbors, and foster parents are all critical to providing temporary care for these children and teens. See how you can make a difference as a foster parent.
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- Impact
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Children and Families Need You
Through KVC, you can strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and help create a bright future where every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community. Please join us today! Learn More
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Overview
Our free resources help you stay informed and educated about foster care, child welfare, adoption, mental health and childhood trauma as well as how KVC Kansas is working toward building healthier communities.
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- About Us
About KVC Kansas
KVC Kansas is a private, nonprofit organization that serves nearly 13,000 children and adults each year. Our team of professionals provides family strengthening and preventative services, foster care case management, family reunification services, foster family recruitment and support, adoption, aftercare, outpatient therapy and more.
We envision a world in which every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community.
- Blog
How to Adopt a Child in Kansas
Becoming an Approved Adoptive Home
Adopting a child from foster care involves several steps to ensure the readiness and suitability of prospective parents. KVC is a licensed adoption agency in Kansas. We would be honored to get to know your family and support you on your adoption journey! Understand how to adopt a child from foster care in Kansas and get to know the different steps in the adoption process here:
1. Take a Training Class
Most states require a training class before approving a family to adopt a child from foster care. In the state of Kansas, the required training is called MAPP Foundations (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) – a free 30-hour course. The goal of this training is to help prospective foster and adoptive parents gain a better understanding of their ability, willingness and readiness to adopt.
To find out when the next training class is starting, submit the form on this page and our team will be in touch soon.
2. Application and Home Study
After completing the required MAPP Foundation training course, you’ll work with KVC to complete an adoption application and home study. This process usually takes three to six months and KVC will cover this cost if the child you are adopting is in our care.
This application includes:
- Criminal background check
- Verification of employment
- Health assessment of all family members
- Reference checks from friends and family
Additionally, we’ll discuss a variety of topics to understand your parenting strengths and any areas for improvement. Discussions will include:
- Parenting style
- Life experiences
- Sense of family
- Expectations for a child
- Reasons for wanting to adopt
- Thoughts about the type of child you feel best equipped to parent
3. Matching Process
After you complete the MAPP Foundations class and have an approved home study and application, you’ll register on the Adopt Kansas Kids exchange for a potential match. Through this exchange, you’ll be able to meet youth looking for an adoptive family, and youth will be able to meet you. Children available for adoption are typically age 10 and above, part of sibling sets who need to be adopted together, or have unique needs.
Once you express interest in a child, we’ll work with your family to schedule a matching call based on your availability. During this call, you’ll have a chance to share additional information about your family. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn more about the child from those who work directly with them. KVC provides full disclosure of all available information about the child’s background, experiences and needs.
The goal of this call is to allow your family, the case team and other professionals to determine if your family is able to meet the child’s needs and move forward to the next step in the adoption process.
4. Best Interest Staffing
Once there’s a match, Kansas will place your family’s profile on hold and will pause processing any additional inquiries while you move forward with the match. Then, KVC will host a “Best Interest Staffing” (BIS) where our team reviews your home study and application along with the child’s history to determine if the match suits both the adoptive family and the child. Sometimes, several families might be interested in the same child, which makes this step crucial in the process.
If the Best Interest Staffing determines your family is the best fit for the child, you’ll move onto the next step in the adoption process.
If you aren’t selected, your family’s profile will become active again if you’d like to continue searching for a match. Please keep in mind that every decision is made with the child’s best interest at heart. This ensures that the selected family can provide the care that best fits the child’s specific needs. Just because you’re not chosen for one child doesn’t mean your family won’t be a great fit for another.
5. Placement & Finalization
If the Best Interest Staffing determines this match can move forward, you’ll soon begin caring for the child if they weren’t already in your care.
Then, you’ll schedule a time to negotiate an adoption subsidy with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and sign the Adoption Placement Agreement (APA). Please notify your KVC Adoption Specialist after you recieve the signed APA.
Adoption finalization typically occurs 6 months after signing the APA. However, this time varies based on a variety of factors, including how long the child has been in your home.
6. Congratulations!
Congratulations on your finalized adoption! From this point forward, KVC provides you and your family individualized support services for up to 12 months following the adoption finalization. These services help your family while addressing any concerns, questions, challenges, and of course, celebrating wins!
Contact KVC for more information or to start your adoption journey today! We’ve successfully matched over 5,500 children with forever families and are ready to support you in your adoption journey.
