Adoption Tracking Tool - Working together to achieve timely adoptions for Kansas children

Adoption Tracking Tool

The Adoption Tracking Tool is designed to reduce time to adoption by using a standardized tool for tracking key benchmarks and time schedules for children legally free for adoption

What is the Adoption Tracking Tool?

The Adoption Tracking tool is a case reporting tool that will reduce time to adoption by:

  1. Establishing clear timelines and benchmarks, and
  2. Providing a tool for agency workers and court/legal system to assist with communication of roles, responsibilities, and process.

What are the benefits of the adoption tracking tool? 

  • Clarifying and streamlining procedures for timely adoption
  • Improving communication between caseworkers and courts
  • Expanding efforts to identify barriers to timely adoption
  • Increasing collaborative accountability

The Need

  • Kansas ranks 5th worst in the nation in non-permanent discharges from foster care and 7th worst nationally in time to adoption.
  • Time to adoption has increased 18% in Kansas since 2015.

Resources

Project Information

  • The Adoption Tracking Tool is one strategy of Kansas Strong for Children and Families.

  • Principal Investigator: Becci Akin

  • Co-Investigator: Kaela Byers

  • Project Manager: Christina Mott

  • Dates: October 2018-September 2023

  • Funder: Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, grant number 90-CO-1139

The Adoption Tracking Tool Process

From collaboration to shared goals

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Caseworkers

Caseworkers complete the Adoption Tracking Tool for children legally free for adoption. The tool establishes tracking metrics for key activities, timelines, roles and responsibilities.
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Courts

Judges, court personnel, and caseworkers use the Adoption Tracking Tool in court hearings. The tool functions as a communication tool among caseworkers, judges and other court personnel.
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Courts and caseworkers

The Adoption Tracking Tool can be used to document barriers that get in the way of timely adoption and helps with targeting efforts to bust barriers.
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Shared Goals

Kansas children and youth are adopted faster and Kansas children and youth have improved permanency and stability in their living situations

Key Collaborators

Court collaboration was made possible by the Kansas Supreme Court Task Force on Permanency Planning, the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration, and the Kansas Court Improvement Program.

Kansas Strong for Children and Families

Kansas Strong for Children and Families

The Adoption Tracking Tool is one strategy of Kansas Strong for Children and Families, a federally-funded initiative that aims to support Kansas child welfare as a collaborative, data-driven system that achieves positive outcomes for children’s well-being, safety, and permanency.

About Kansas Strong

Stay in Touch

For more information on Kansas Strong for Children and Families, please contact Project Director and Principle Investigator Becci Akin, PhD, at beccia@ku.edu or email project staff using the link below.

ksstrong@ku.edu

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