Non-profit

KVC Kansas

Website:

kansas.kvc.org

Location:

Olathe, KS

Type:

Community advocacy group

Formation:

1970

President:

Linda Bass

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KVC Kansas (legally named KVC Behavioral Healthcare) is a nonprofit child welfare and behavioral health care organization that is a subsidiary of KVC Health Systems. The group provides foster care, adoption, family preservation, and behavioral health services across the state of Kansas. The organization works in partnership with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) and serves as a major contractor for the state’s privatized foster care system. 1 2

Founded as a local nonprofit in 1970 and incorporated into KVC Health Systems in 1996, KVC Kansas has become one of the primary service providers for children and families within the Kansas child welfare system. While the organization promotes itself as a leader in trauma-informed care, it has also faced criticism and scrutiny related to the safety and oversight of children in its care. 3

Background

KVC Kansas was originally established as the Wyandotte House, a home for at-risk boys in Kansas City, Kansas, and later became known as the Kaw Valley Center. In the 1990s, it expanded as part of the state’s effort to privatize foster care and was rebranded under the broader KVC Health Systems umbrella. KVC Health Systems now includes operations in multiple states, including Nebraska, Missouri, West Virginia, and Kentucky. 3

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services initiated the privatization of the state’s child welfare services in 1996 and selected KVC Kansas as one of its initial lead contractors. KVC has since remained a primary contractor of the Kansas Department for Children and Families (formerly the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. 3

KVC Kansas provides a range of child and family services. These include foster care case management, adoption support, family preservation services aimed at preventing the removal of children from their homes, and outpatient behavioral health services. The organization claims to be responsible for more than half of the children in the Kansas foster care system and says it has finalized over 5,500 adoptions since the 1990s. 4 5

KVC Kansas, under its legal name KVC Behavioral Healthcare, reports over $60 million in revenue and expenses annually. The organization’s board is comprised entirely of KVC Behavioral Healthcare or KVC Health Systems employees. 6

Controversy

KVC Kansas has been subject to scrutiny regarding the safety and oversight of children in its care. In September 2024, The Beacon reported that two children nearly died while being housed in a KVC Kansas foster care office in a Topeka building due to a lack of available placements. It was reported that “One child overdosed and another cut his own neck” among other incidents. 7

The report found that the children’s conditions deteriorated significantly and that one child lost five pounds in ten days. Emails obtained in the investigation revealed that KVC staff were aware of the dangers involved but felt they had no other placement options. Linda Bass, president of KVC Kansas, called on state lawmakers to enact more funding for prevention services in response. 7

The Beacon also reported that “Poor supervision at offices has been a problem for years. One child sexually assaulted a 13-year-old when the two spent the night at an office in 2018. Another child ran away from a different contractor’s office in 2022 and was found dead days later.” 7

Affiliated Organizations

KVC Kansas was listed as part of the Boots on the Ground Volunteer Fair. Boots on the Ground is a Kansas-based coalition of left-of-center advocacy and political groups organized around flipping U.S. Senate seats from Republicans to Democrats and opposing the Trump administration. The group’s founders stated that in organizing the first event for the group they “considered who was taking the punches with the new administration, pinpointing groups that work directly with immigration rights, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, climate activism, food and housing security, the foster system, healthcare access, and reproductive health.” 8

References

  1. “Kansas Procurement Contracts.” Kansas Department of Administration. Query Conducted April 2, 2025. https://supplier.sok.ks.gov/psp/sokfsprdsup/SUPPLIER/ERP/c/KS_SUPPLIER_MENU.KS_PROCR_CNTRCT.GBL
  2. “Mission & Vision.” KVC Kansas. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansas.kvc.org/about/mission-vision/
  3. “History.” KVC Kansas. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansas.kvc.org/about/history/
  4. “Adoption Services.” KVC Kansas. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansas.kvc.org/services/adoption/
  5. “Foster Care Services.” KVC Kansas. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://kansas.kvc.org/services/foster-care/
  6. Return of An Organization Exempt from Income Tax. (Form 990). KVC Behavioral Healthcare Inc. 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/480770308/202431369349305703/full
  7. Mesa, Blaise. “One Child Overdosed and Another Cut His Own Neck at a Kansas Foster Office. What That Says About the System.” The Beacon. September 25, 2024. Accessed April 2, 2025. https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2024/09/25/two-children-almost-died-at-a-kansas-foster-care-office/
  8. Glynn, Earl “Boots on the Ground Midwest promotes progressive organizing in KC area.” Watchdog Lab. March 17, 2025. Accessed April 4, 2025.  https://watchdoglab.substack.com/p/boots-on-the-ground-midwest-promotes
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KVC Kansas


Olathe, KS