The Kansas Department of Children and Families is embarking on a new tablet-driven project aimed at helping foster children needing behavioral health services.
The effort, which is being funded by a $516,600 USDA grant and matching funds from the state's KVC Health Systems, will provide tablets to 3,000 children and 550 foster homes located in 30 counties. KVC--which provides services to families in Kansas, Nebraska, West Virginia and Kentucky--is one of Kansas' two foster care contractors.
Using the tablets, foster children will be able to connect with therapists over a HIPAA-accredited video stream. The devices will help provide foster families with educational and training resources. The video conference solution, called KVC MyLink, is already in use by 160 foster families living in Kentucky and West Virginia. That user population will grow to 850 families with the new grant funding.
"Children who have experienced physical or sexual abuse or neglect and who live in rural, underserved regions need support," B. Wayne Sims, president and CEO of KVC Health Systems, told Hays Post. "The technology will also provide foster parents with new training on how to handle family challenges." Article