Governor Laura Kelly today signed House Bill 2536, establishing the Support, Opportunity, Unity, and Legal (SOUL) family legal permanency option, a fourth pathway for children 16 years or older in foster care to obtain legal permanency via a custodian of their choice. Previously, children in custody of the Kansas Department of Children and Families (DCF) had three pathways for permanency: adoption, reintegration, and appointment of a custodian. Now, children will have the ability to choose someone they trust to raise them as they enter adulthood.