We believe in public-private partnerships as a means to strengthen a kinship care response.
We have raised the practice of kinship care in Allegheny County from 10% to 58% (with a goal of 70%). Before the implementation of Improving Outcomes for Children (IOC) in Philadelphia, we had taken kinship care from 5% to 52% (with a goal of 55%). We have saved Pittsburgh DHS more than $65 million.
Building Relationships to Better Serve Families
Local growth
We believe that kinship care is a community-based response. As such, we have built relationships with the Pittsburgh foundation community to strengthen this response:
- Eden Hall Foundation: capital and programming
- The Pittsburgh Foundation: evidence-based practices
- Heinz Endowments: programming
- Hillman Foundation: capital and programming
- PNC Foundation: programming
- University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work: evidence-based practices
- A Second Chance Charitable Foundation: programming
A national response
We believe we must change the narrative of how children in the child welfare system are treated, as we know through research and data that those in kinship care experience better outcomes. Our relationship to these foundations support this belief:
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation: R&D, capacity, national curriculum
- Casey Family Programs: national engagement with states
- The Kresge Foundation: succession planning in organizations of color
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation: capacity building
- The Benedum Foundation: support for our work in West Virginia
Extending our reach
ASCI has created a national presence by providing technical assistance, training and assessment in jurisdictions like:
- Los Angeles County, Calif.
- West Virginia
- Georgia
- Washington, D.C.
- New York, N.Y.
- Northern Virginia
- Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Arizona
For example, we have been working with Los Angeles County to help more relative caregivers complete the foster care certification process, after the county ran up against a looming state deadline in 2018. ASCI continues to provide training, coaching and technical assistance to L.A. by adapting our Gold Standard Process of working alongside families to empower them as they move through the child welfare system. L.A. foundation partnerships for technical assistance include: