A new permanency option designed by youth in foster care
Support • Opportunity • Unity • Legal Relationships
NEWS
Kansas Becomes First State to Pilot a SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option
April 15, 2024: Gov. Laura Kelly signed the SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option, HB2536, making Kansas the first state in the country to pilot this new permanency option for young people in foster care. See the Governor’s press release.
March 27, 2024: The Kansas Senate voted in favor of the passage of HB2536 and then voted 40-0 to pass the bill in final action. The bill will now move to the Governor’s desk. Watch here.
March 19, 2024: The Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee voted unanimously to pass the SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option bill (HB2536) out of committee. Next, it may be heard on the Senate floor.
March 6, 2024: The Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee held a hearing on SOUL Family bill (HB2536). Listen here.
Feb. 22, 2024: The Kansas House passed the SOUL Family bill (HB2536). Next steps will start the process in the Senate, where the bill will be heard in committee then potentially, move to the Senate floor.
Feb. 5, 2024: The Kansas House Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee recommended the SOUL Family bill be passed by the full House.
Jan. 24, 2024: Listen to the powerful testimony of young people with lived experience, who share how an option like SOUL Family would have helped them. The Kansas House Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee heard from multiple organizations and individuals in support of SOUL Family.
Jan. 19, 2024: HB2536 has been introduced and will be heard during the House Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 24. We’re excited to see this important move forward to establishing SOUL Family. Watch the hearing at 1:30 p.m. CST! Youth with lived experience will share their stories.
October 2023: SOUL Family leaders and young people with lived experience shared at the Kansas Joint Committee on Child Welfare System Oversight. Learn more about SOUL from DCF Sec. Laura Howard and others! Click here to see the video!
Youth aging out of foster care deserve
long-term connections & support
The SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option was designed by young people as a proposed new legal pathway to form families who will support them during their journey to adulthood. Although much work is being done to launch SOUL Family, it is not yet operational. Legislative action occurred in Kansas that allows the implementation process to begin.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families and a growing network of partners statewide are collaborating to build the understanding, resources, services and administrative and legal infrastructure needed to build the SOUL Family legal permanency option.
SOUL Family was conceived by young leaders with foster care experience, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative®. Kansas is the first state to pilot the SOUL Family option.
Youth in Care Speak Up
SOUL Family Permanency addresses three key ideas young
people - whose voices and ideas were a critical part of the
team that built this initiative - offered to help them find
stability and permanency:
Youth want support for their vision of family that is
youth-centered or that engages youth in a way that
values their voices and important relationshipsOptions should include the ability to build lasting, legal relationships with designated adults and family members
It’s important to support cultural traditions
and family structures, which can be difficult
through current paths to permanency
Help youth find permanency without losing
their eligibility for educational and financial
support services that are reserved for youth
who “age out” of the system without a legal connection to a family
SOUL Family is intended to achieve the promise of family for older youth in foster care in a way that provides lifelong support, belonging, and the legal benefits of being part of a caring family.
For some, this family may include school mentors and community neighbors, while for others, family may be a combination of relatives and foster parents. Young people in foster care deserve the opportunity to build and strengthen lifelong relationships in ways that meet their individual circumstances!
The Philosophy of SOUL
Want more information? Check out the national landing page for the proposed SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option.
Please note that SOUL Family has not been launched yet. Stay tuned for more information as we move forward!