The time is now to protect the well-being and stability of children in Missouri’s child welfare system.

Across Missouri, children are being separated from their families not because of proven abuse, but because of poverty-related barriers, lack of support for relatives, unverified allegations, and systemic failures within Child Protective Services (CPS). These removals are often unnecessary, disruptive, and deeply traumatic for children.

We are calling on the Missouri Legislature to pass the Missouri Kinship First Act, a comprehensive reform that prioritizes placing children with their relatives before foster care, while ensuring accountability and child safety.

Why Kinship First Matters

Research consistently shows that children do better when placed with family.

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, children in kinship care experience:

fewer school disruptions,

greater placement stability,

stronger emotional well-being, and

continued family, cultural, and community connections.

In Missouri—where family ties and community are deeply valued—keeping children with relatives whenever safely possible is not only humane, it is evidence-based.

Yet today, many grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives are denied placement simply because they lack extra bedrooms, immediate resources, or financial support—while children are placed with strangers in foster care instead.

The Gap in Support for Kinship Caregivers

A study by Generations United found that kinship caregivers often receive significantly less financial support and fewer services than non-relative foster parents, despite stepping in during family crises.

These families are willing to help—but they are being set up to fail by a system that does not provide:

emergency financial assistance,

housing or repair support, or

fair opportunities to remedy minor, fixable barriers.

Poverty should never be mistaken for neglect.

What the Missouri Kinship First Act Will Do

The Missouri Kinship First Act will:

✔ Require CPS to place children with safe, willing family before foster care

✔ Prohibit denying kinship placement due to poverty or fixable housing issues

✔ Provide emergency funding and waivers for kinship caregivers

✔ Require verified evidence—not rumors or hearsay—before allegations are used

✔ Mandate medical evaluation of injuries and abuse disclosures in foster care

✔ Protect parents’ and kin’s right to document visits and injuries

✔ Prevent fraudulent diagnoses and overmedication of foster children

✔ Guarantee court-appointed counsel in termination-of-parental-rights cases

✔ Prohibit using foster “bonding” caused by agency delay to justify adoption

✔ Establish an independent oversight board to hold CPS accountable

This reform strengthens child safety without destroying families.

Why Action Is Urgent

Families across Missouri report the same patterns:

kinship placements denied without clear justification,

abuse reports dismissed as “unsubstantiated” despite visible injuries,

lack of transparency and due process, and

no meaningful accountability when CPS fails to protect children already in state custody.

These systemic failures harm children, traumatize families, and cost taxpayers millions—while failing to achieve the system’s core mission: keeping children safe.

Our Commitment

This petition does not attack individual caseworkers or foster parents.

It calls for systemic reform, transparency, and child-centered policy.

Stories may be shared anonymously.

Families deserve to be heard.

Call to Action

If you are a:

parent

grandparent

kinship caregiver

foster youth

advocate

or Missouri resident who believes children belong with family

👉 Sign this petition.

👉 Share it statewide.

👉 Help bring the Missouri Kinship First Act to the Missouri Legislature.

Children belong with family whenever safely possible. Missouri must do better

“By passing the Missouri Kinship First Act, Missouri can lead the nation in family-first child welfare reform