Topeka ? A lobbyist for a Kansas police association has expressed concerns over the way state social workers handle foster care.

Lobbyist Ed Klumpp of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police told state lawmakers that social workers with the Department for Children and Families can be difficult to contact, supervisors are sometimes unreachable and calls to a hotline to assist with problems may go unanswered.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Klumpp voiced these concerns at a meeting of the Foster Care Adequacy Committee last week. He said that law enforcement officers responding to a situation involving a child in a foster home are left with very limited options, and a last resort is placing the child in protective custody.

Department secretary Phyllis Gilmore acknowledged Klumpp’s statements are concerning. Gilmore says the agency will make any needed corrections.

This story has been edited to reflect that Ed Klumpp is a lobbyist, not a law enforcement leader.