• Have you heard about the Foster Care Bill of Rights that was written into Kansas law in 2023?
• Are you a Youth in foster care, a Foster Parent or Kinship Caregiver for a child in foster care?
• Do you know what your rights are, and have you been given a copy of the Bill of Rights?

Kansas Statute now specifies rights for you at 38-2201 (ksrevisor.org)

The Representative Gail Finney Memorial Foster Care Bill of Rights provides specific rights to both foster parents/kinship caregivers and children in foster care, as detailed in K.S.A. 38-2201 and amendments. The bill of rights is named in honor of Representative Finney, who passed away in 2022 after authoring the bill. Representative Finney had been a foster parent herself, therefore having personal experience of the needs of both caregivers and children.

Some of the rights of Foster Parents/Kinship Caregivers include:

• treatment as a professional member of the child’s team,
• freedom from discrimination;
• maintaining their own family values and beliefs;
• making some decisions for the child;
• receiving specific training;
• being notified of expense reimbursement options and receiving timely payment;
• submitting a report to the Court.

There are 22 detailed rights in the Foster Parent Bill of Rights that foster parents and kinship caregivers should be aware of, which can be reviewed at the Foster Parent Bill of Rights (ks.gov).

Children and youth have their own Bill of Rights which provides a list of 19 items. Some of the rights include:

• living in a safe, comfortable placement, where they are treated respectfully, with their siblings when possible,
• have as few placements as possible,
• have visits with family,
• have and maintain their own belongings,
• have access to extracurricular activities,
• be notified of and attend CINC hearings as developmentally appropriate.
• have regular access and right to communicate with case managers, attorneys, and advocates.

Check out the full list at the Foster Youth Bill of Rights (ks.gov).