Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services has squandered more than $2.5 million in federal grants intended to help teen-agers in the state’s foster care system, according to a recent study by a Wichita-based advocacy group.

“There’s a large amount of evidence that shows the money is not getting to these kids,” said Gaye Tibbets, executive director of the Kansas Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.

Daisy DeKnight is putting herself through college at Kansas University. A sophomore majoring in psychology, DeKnight was in Kansas' foster care system until aging

Most of the children, about 200 a year, leave the system with no family, few friends and a troubled past.

“As a group they have a very hard time making it,” Tibbets said.

Aiming to help, Congress passed a law, the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program of 1999, making money available to states for programs that teach older foster children, ages 16 to 21, to live on their own. Stipends also are available.

Kansas got $1 million in Chaffee funds last year, $1.6 million this year.

SRS gives most of the money to private contractors who provide the state foster care services.

SRS expects the contractors to spend the money on independent living programs for 16-, 17-, and 18-year-olds in foster care. But how much of the money actually reaches the teen-agers is anybody’s guess, Tibbets said.

“The contract requirements for independent living are, at best, vague,” she said. “Nobody seems to know what they are.”

SRS’ lackluster oversight, Tibbets said, led to the department’s being cited in a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services audit last year for allowing children to exit the system when they turn 18 “without the necessary life-skills training.”

Only about 5 percent of the state’s Chaffee funds are set aside for 19-, 20-, and 21-year-olds.

Misspent funds?

Marilyn Jacobson, assistant secretary in charge of children and family policy at SRS, said the department has been addressing issues raised in the HHS audit. But that, she said, doesn’t mean SRS has misspent funds.

“We are confident that we’re using our Chaffee funding in ways that are authorized,” she said.

Jacobson attributed much of Tibbets’ criticism to legitimate disagreements on how the money should be spent.

“Professionals in the social service arena don’t always agree,” she said, noting that contractor records show that 2,000 children in the state’s foster care and adoption programs received independent living services last year.

Tibbets said she finds that hard to believe. During her research, she said, social workers and foster parents often complained of independent living services being sporadic and ineffective.

“One foster mother said her teen’s independent living class kept being canceled,” Tibbets said. “And then when they’d finally meet, all they did was show movies on AIDS prevention.”

Tibbets also found that few workers in the foster care and adoption systems are aware that older teens might be eligible for stipends of up to $400 a month.

As part of her research, Tibbets called eight of SRS’ 11 area offices and asked if they could help an 18-year-old former foster child interested in going to college.

Of the eight offices called, only two Lawrence and Topeka knew anything about the stipends, Tibbets said.

“I’ve been a lawyer for 15 years,” Tibbets said, “If I couldn’t find this information, why would you expect an 18-year-old former foster child to find it?”

Jacobson disputed Tibbets’ finding, noting that after the study’s release last week, several area office directors called to let her know they were aware of the stipends being available.

“If anyone is interested, they should call their area (SRS) office and ask to speak to the social service chief,” she said.

Daisy

Before she turned 18, Daisy DeKnight spent 4 1/2 years in 13 different foster homes, mostly in western Kansas.

“My mother has a mental illness; she’s bipolar,” DeKnight said. “She tried to take care of me, but she couldn’t. My dad wasn’t in the picture much; he really wasn’t an option.”

Now 20 and working toward a degree in psychology at Kansas University, DeKnight didn’t know she was eligible for a stipend.

“Back when I was a senior at Quinter (Kan.) High School, my caseworker got me a stipend for like $10 a day, but I was told it was only for a year,” she said. “So in March it ran out, and I really scrounged for rent the next three months. I’m scrounging here, too, but at least I’m making it.”

To make ends meet, DeKnight works at a Lawrence Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers 28 hours (six days) a week. Her mother sends her money sometimes. Her father, she said, doesn’t have any to send.

She’s taking 12 credit hours at KU. DeKnight said she’d welcome a stipend.

“It would be nice if they’d do something like that, then maybe I wouldn’t have to work so much and I could study more.”