Reducing Child Removals Strengthens Family Integrity and Well-Being

Prepared by CPPR researchers with support by the Kansas Department for Children and Families, the Kansas Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First) evaluation found early evidence that the provision of preventative services and programs reduced the need for child removal into foster care and significantly improved child and caregiver well-being.   

Among the families who completed Family First programs, 95% of cases served and closed had successfully completed the referred service and 90% of children remained safely at home one year later. Early findings also indicate that the prioritization of family preservation bolstered by program offerings that successfully met a range of needs supported positive long-term outcomes for children and families, including reducing parenting stress, improving caregiving confidence, and restoring family functioning. 

By swiftly identifying the underlying needs of children, youth, and families served by child welfare, the comprehensive array of Family First services was systemically responsive in connecting families to appropriate supports, such as mental health, parental skill-building, kinship navigation, and substance use disorder treatment. After studying Family First Prevention Services Act outcomes in Kansas from October 2020 through June 2024, researchers make the following recommendations: 

• Expand eligibility to support more families sooner   
• Integrate concrete supports, like those related to food, housing, and cash assistance, into Family First program offerings for more sustainable outcomes  
• Adjust or expand service offerings to address evolving child and family needs identified through program evaluation  
• Utilize data to make targeted investments to better fund supports that families need most  

 Read the full Family First Prevention Services brief and learn more about Family First in Kansas.