Topeka ? About two hours into a roundtable discussion Tuesday on mental health issues affecting children, Sen. Paul Feleciano, D-Wichita, couldn’t take it anymore.

“This is absolutely insane,” he said.

Feleciano’s assessment followed a Great Bend foster parent telling the group that she recently had a girl in her home who had been through 18 placements in the past four years and who, despite needing to see a therapist, had been denied services by the area’s community mental health center.

“She’s moved to another foster home that I happen to have contact with,” said Lori Oden, a foster parent for the past 17 years. “I talked to them just the other day and as of last week, she’d still not seen anyone — she’s gone all summer without seeing (a therapist).”

Until the girl gets the help she needs, Oden said, she’ll continue to act out, resulting in more moves.

Oden’s comments were part of daylong discussion organized by Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita and chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Children’s Issues. Feleciano also serves on the Joint Committee on Children’s Issues but soon will be leaving the Legislature to serve on the Kansas Parole Board.

About 40 people — a mix of legislators, foster parents, social workers, administrators and advocates — took part in the discussion at the Statehouse.

Tamara Hawk, a private-practice social worker in Manhattan, complained that despite repeated efforts to fix the problem, much-needed information still does not follow children through the foster care system.

“I’m working on a case now — I’m still trying to find out who her mother was and how and when she died,” Hawk said. “I need to know that.”

Hawk’s comment struck a nerve with Landwehr, who noted that the same complaint had been aired during last year’s discussion.

“I’m very frustrated,” Landwehr said.

Others in the group urged Feleciano and Landwehr not to let the isolated incidents cited by Hawk and Oden overshadow the system’s accomplishments in the seven years since most of the state’s child welfare services were privatized.

“I’ve never been prouder to be part of the mental health system than I have been in the past year,” said J. Mann, an administrator with Prairie View mental health center in Newton.

“Perfection is never going to be achieved,” said Roberta Sue McKenna, assistant director of children and family policy at the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

McKenna said more children were receiving more services than ever before.

Records show that in May 2002, community mental health centers were seeing 232 foster children; on Monday, they were seeing 688 children.

“Are there children who are still falling through cracks in the system? Yes, there are,” Dave Johnson, executive director at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, said afterward.

“Is that acceptable? Absolutely not, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that just two years ago, those cracks were canyons,” Johnson said.

Oden held her ground. “I’d like to think that a year from now won’t be talking about this,” she said. “We’ll see.”