Partnering for safe and healthy communities.
Our Work in Foster Care in Kansas and Missouri
Three Updates That Pave the Way for a Strong 2023
Reduction of Out-of-Home Foster Care in Kansas
When Cornerstones of Care began its work with out-of-home foster care in 2019, it served 842 clients in Area 5 – Atchison, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte Counties in Kansas. Today, those numbers have dipped below 600 clients receiving out-of-home services.
 
“That’s a reduction of almost 30 percent,” said Justin Horton, Chief Programs & Innovation Officer.
The dramatic reduction in numbers can be attributed to the Family First Prevention Service Act passed by Congress in 2018. The landmark law aims to prevent child abuse and neglect and reduce foster care placements by focusing on keeping children safely with their families.
 
“On the front end, prevention services like Functional Family Therapy are a great addition to already impactful family preservation services in the state that help keep families together,” said Justin.
 
Another contributing factor to the safe reduction of foster care clients is an emphasis on placing foster children with someone they know, which typically allows permanency to be achieved more quickly. Cornerstones of Care was the first grantee to achieve at least 50 percent of foster children placed with a relative or non-relative kinship provider.
 
Now that this milestone has been reached, the goal is to maintain efforts and increase collaborations and partnerships for the good of the Kansas communities we serve.
Expansion of Services in Kansas City, Mo.
This March, Cornerstones of Care will serve 72 more youth in Jackson County as part of our contract with the Missouri Alliance for Children and Families. This number is in addition to the 160 youth currently assigned to Cornerstones of Care. The extension will run through the end of the contract, which expires in 2025.

“We wanted to ensure that it will run through the end of our contract so that this work doesn’t stop abruptly for the children and families being served or for our staff,” says Shelia Rancatore, Executive Director of Missouri Programs and Services.

Cornerstones of Care has hired six specialists and one manager to accommodate the increased staffing need. New team members will join the Missouri Foster Care and Adoption team headed by Ky Clement, Director of Foster Care and Adoption.

“Ky has lived it,” says Shelia. “She’s worked as a specialist for years before becoming a manager and now the director. That team does great work.”
New Initiative to Prevent Older Youth from Entering Foster Care
Beginning this year, Cornerstones of Care is accepting referrals for Parent/Youth Facilitation, a two-pronged, grant-funded approach that seeks to prevent older youth from entering the foster care system by engaging families in a meaningful problem-solving process and connecting them to community services and supports.
Missouri Updates
The Folly Theater has generously shared an opportunity with our foster homes in the Kansas City Metropolitan area. The Folly runs a seasonal series of shows known as the “Kids Series.” They feature shows designed for children of various age groups, including some for PreK-2nd and others specifically for kids between 6th and 12th grades.

You can receive FREE tickets by calling the Box Office (816-474-4444) with the code “CARE” or fill out the online form below and mention the code "CARE" anywhere on the form. Shows and their descriptions are found on their website at Folly Kids Series - Folly Theater.
Missouri Foster Parents: Please remember to let your Family Development Specialist know of any changes to your household. Examples may include a house remodel, someone moving in, a change of employment, etc.
Training Discount Code

Don't forget to use our 2023 Thinkific training discount code when registering for trainings. The code is: cocrp22
Upcoming Foster Parent Trainings
Kansas & Missouri:

Thursday, March 2 | 6 - 8 p.m.
Presenter: Natalie Chaffee
Caregivers will learn about burnout and how to prevent it while caring for youth.
Participants will learn the Cognitive Interaction Skills of Reinforcement and Disapproval. They will gain an understanding of how to work these into their families' everyday lives to promote prosocial behaviors. 

Thursday, April 27 | 6 - 9 p.m.
Presenter: Natasha Fletcher
Participants will learn LGBTQIA+ vocabulary and definitions, have an opportunity to wrestle with homophobia, transphobia, and heterosexism, and identify concrete steps toward providing a safe home for LGBTQIA+ youth.
1-844-824-8200 | cornerstonesofcare.org | donate