Missouri is Facing a Foster Care Crisis
Children's advocate Chad Puckett calls for Senate action
There’s a strain on Missouri’s child welfare system that endangers kids in foster care.
Chad Puckett, president of the Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Agencies (MACCCA) on Wednesday praised a recent Missouri House hearing on HB 2241, which adds a layer of protection.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jamie Gragg, a Republican from Ozark. Puckett urged Republican Sen. Jill Carter of Granby, to take up the measure in the Missouri Senate as Missouri continues to face strain in its child-welfare system.
“While the House hearing in the Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing was intense, attendees aired the issues that helped tighten the bill language, which is the purpose of the hearing process,” Puckett said, “Chairman Knight did the right thing, and I call upon Senator Jill Carter to schedule a hearing in the Families, Seniors and Health Committee, which she chairs, in the Missouri State Senate. Also, thank you to Representative Jamie Gragg for ensuring child welfare is in the spotlight as it pertains to our foster care crisis in Missouri.”
HB 2241 would build on Missouri statute 210. It adds another layer of protection by creating a board within the Department of Social Services and a registration process through a qualifying organization for faith-based Christian group homes to help address the foster care crisis. As a result of the hearing, language changes are being added to make clear that all provisions of statute 210 pertaining to Christian group homes are included, and the director of the Department of Social Services is being added to the board.
Missouri officials themselves have acknowledged ongoing strain in the child-welfare system
Puckett’s call for action comes as Missouri officials themselves have acknowledged ongoing strain in the child-welfare system. In February, Gov. Mike Kehoe said the state was joining the federal “A Home for Every Child” initiative to strengthen child welfare, support foster families and increase available homes for children in need.
READ: Faith groups could help solve foster care crisis
The January 2026 Missouri child-welfare report also stated the state was not meeting the federal goal of 95 percent for concerted efforts to place children with relatives. The report said the number of children in residential placements rose from 557 in June 2025 to 570 in September 2025, pointing to continuing pressure in the system.
Foster care areas needing improvement
The same report said 17 of 30 applicable cases reviewed on that measure were rated areas needing improvement, with 16 tied to failure to locate, identify, inform and evaluate relatives for potential placement. Those findings lend support to Puckett’s argument that the current system still has serious gaps.
My faith compels me to stand up and say that we have a crisis. –Chad Puckett
Puckett says the issue cannot be ignored. “There are numerous recent media reports of foster children being abused while in the current licensure system run by the Children’s Division of the Department of Social Services in Missouri, including alleged abuse of a foster child as recently as Feb. 4, 2026. My faith compels me to stand up and say that we have a crisis. HB 2241 will provide the director of the Department of Social Services with actionable tools to bring abuse into the light and stop it.”
Puckett concluded, “I will do everything in my power to stop the abuse of a child, and I also commend Governor Kehoe for joining the federal ‘A Home for Every Child’ initiative. My goal is to work with all stakeholders, political parties, and both the Missouri House and Senate on effective solutions to end this crisis.”
For Puckett, the push for HB 2241 is ultimately about the kids–encouraging lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to give the state’s most vulnerable children a safe place to land.
–Dwight Widaman
