Kansas governor Laura Kelly says she will submit an executive reorganization order to the Kansas Legislature to create the Kansas Department of Human Services.
The new agency will include the current programs for the Department for Children and Families, the Department for Aging and Disability Services and the juvenile services division of the Department of Corrections. The current secretary for DCF and KDADS, Laura Howard, will lead the new agency.
In a press release, Governor Kelly said one of her key priorities has been fixing the state’s broken safety net and ensuring that children and families in need will have access to critical services. She said the new agency will allow the state to focus on prevention, “so we can get to these families before their situation becomes a crisis. She said the Department of Human Services will partner with communities across the state to create a single point of entry for those who need access to services for child welfare, mental health, economic support and juvenile justice.
The programs included in the new agency will include:
Adult protective services
Adult behavioral health
Long-term services and supports
Economic supports
Employment supports
Children’s mental-health supports
Child protective services
Juvenile justice and crossover youth
Foster care
Prevention
Licensing, credentialing, survey and certification
Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex
Larned State Hospital
Parsons State Hospital
Osawatomie State Hospital
Kansas Neurological Institute
The governor said juvenile justice reform has resulted in a reduced need for incarceration while improving case management for county community corrections services. She said with the needs of families for community collaboration and overlap, it makes sense to organize juvenile services and child welfare resources under one agency.
Republican leaders in the Kansas House issued a statement shortly after the governor’s press release. The statement from House Speaker Ron Ryckman, House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, and Speaker Pro-Tem Blaine Finch reads as follows: “Governor Kelly chose not to discuss her plan with legislative leadership before rolling it out so it’s difficult to know the specifics. Given the rhetoric from her administration about working together and finding compromises, it’s unfortunate that Governor Kelly has kept the legislature in the dark on such a major reorganization. Kansans can rest assured: Republican leadership is committed to thoroughly vetting this plan to ensure it is in the best interest of Kansas families and children.”
