A reduction in foster care numbers should mean a brighter future for thousands of U.S. children.

Building the future
A reduction in foster care numbers should mean a brighter future for thousands of U.S. children.

September 5, 2010
The recent announcement that the number of U.S. children in foster care had dropped by 8 percent in the last year and 20 percent in the last decade certainly is welcome news.

In Kansas, the number of children in foster care hit a high of 6,631 in 2007. In fiscal year 2009, the state had 5,691 children in foster care, the lowest number since 2002 and 9.7 percent lower than in 2008.

Foster care is a vital service for children who cannot safely be left in their homes, but it is intended to be a temporary measure until a better living situation can be arranged. Long stays in foster care aren’t a desirable goal, especially if those stays involve moves to several different foster homes.

Officials and child-welfare advocates have noted several reasons for the decline in foster care numbers. Key among those are efforts to provide expanded support for troubled families so they can address the problems that might result in children being removed from their homes in the first place.

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http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/sep/05/building-future/?opinion