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The Hilda R. Baker Kinship Institute Kinship care, or family
caring for family, is a natural, out-of-home placement option for children
which successfully meets their need for safety, permanency and well-being. While this alternative has been
utilized for centuries in some cultures, its official foray into the American
foster care system occurred only in 1987, through Policy Announcement
ACYF-PA-8702. Today, 26% of the
581,000 children in foster care are placed with relatives (Adoption and Foster
Care Reporting System). Opinions,
knowledge, policies and programs regarding kinship care do vary, but one thing
is clear: kinship foster care is
here to stay.
In response to the national need for kinship care
information and best practice support, A Second Chance, Inc., a Pittsburgh area
non-profit, community-based provider agency, is proud to announce the formation
of The Hilda R. Baker Kinship Institute
for Program and Leadership Development. Its mission is: To create and support a network of
leaders working with kinship care and human services.
ASCI is the only known organization in the nation
that exclusively provides case management and support services. Over 4500 kinship children living with
relatives or family friends have been served in a holistic, culturally
sensitive manner since 1994, in partnership with our public agency, Allegheny
County Department of Human Services-Office of Children, Youth & Families
(recently profiled on CNN Newsnight).
Staff, families and consultants of ASCI have been
presenters at conferences; authors of kinship care research; served on
Congress’ Federal Advisory Panel on Kinship Care; taught college courses; and
provided testimony to legislators. Among ASCI’s many other accomplishments is its study as a model kinship
care agency by The Urban Institute and Children and Youth Funding Report. The creation of our Kinship Institute
provides us with an innovative way to share this experience and expertise with
others on a widespread basis, in response to the consistent and growing number
of kinship care inquiries we receive, from as far away as South Africa.
The Institute is intended to benefit child welfare
administrators, legislators, human services professionals, academicians, family
members and others. Trainings,
consultation, a trade journal and kinship care research/resources are some of
its planned components. Issues to be addressed through Institute offerings will
include strength-based family assessment and kinship care case management;
legislative mandates; subsidized legal guardianship; fiscal accountability; and
leadership styles, etc. Among its
faculty are child welfare administrators, lawyers, accountants, human resources
certified professionals, licensed social workers and others who have studied,
created, administered, evaluated and personally lived in, kinship care.
I am hopeful you and your organization will not only
utilize, but contribute to the knowledge base of, the Hilda R. Baker Institute
for Program and Leadership Development. In this way, we can work together to enhance the lives of children who
have already been traumatized by their removal from their birthparents and
deserve a loving, stable, and healthy future.
For more information, please call me at (412)
665-2300
Yours truly,
Sharon L. McDaniel, Ed.D.
CEO, President and Founder
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