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Families First
Children and teens belong with their own families whenever possible. KVC works to safely reintegrate hundreds of families each year by providing parenting skills training, therapy and other support.
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On any given day, KVC Kansas provides out-of-home care for thousands of youth. Relatives, non-related kin like teachers and neighbors, and foster families are all critical to providing temporary care for these children and teens. See how you can make a difference.
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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 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.
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Rise Up: Youth Behavioral Health Support
Home- & Community-Based Support for Youth with Behavioral Health Needs
KVC Kansas’ Rise Up program provides in-home and community-based support to help youth with behavioral health needs and their families maintain stability and improve family dynamics. Our goal is to be a reliable resource and support for families, addressing the root causes of behavioral issues and ensuring youth can remain safely at home with their parents.
Target Population
- Youth with Behavioral Health Needs, including those with significant behavioral problems not related to abuse or neglect.
- Families in Need of Assessment (FINA), families referred to foster care for reasons not related to parental safety concerns, focusing on those who would benefit from intensive behavioral health support such as youth with juvenile offender behavior or youth with IDD.
Key Program Elements
- Intensive In-Home Support: We provide frequent home visits to help parents and youth build skills for managing and improving behavioral challenges. Our crisis management services offer immediate support to keep the home environment stable and to prevent the need for foster care.
- Care Coordination & Community Support: We connect families to local resources like therapy, medication management, behavioral support and school support teams, ensuring youth and their families have seamless support from multiple service providers.
- Court, Inpatient/Residential & Community Liaison: Our liaison helps families navigate the legal system, coordinates transitions between treatment centers and home, and builds strong relationships with community service providers.
Program Goals
- Improved Parent Engagement & Stronger Family Bonds: Families will experience greater stability, less stress, improved parental engagement, and closer relationships through personalized in-home and community services.
- Positive Youth Development & Outcomes: Children will thrive with improved behavioral health support, leading to better school attendance, stronger peer relationships, and reduced interactions with law enforcement and KDOC.
- Detention & Foster Care Prevention: Fewer youth will enter detention and foster care due to significant behavior problems.
Make a Referral to Rise Up
We are currently accepting Rise Up referrals for youth and families residing in Shawnee County. To make a referral, submit this form.
If you have any questions, please contact Jerilyn Smith, Director of Specialized Programs, at jsmith@kvc.org.