ASCI Works with the Department of Aging to Provide Support for Grandfamilies
Allegheny County Department of Human Services and A Second Chance, Inc. launched a Grandfamilies stipend program from April 28 – June 30, 2023. This program assisted in providing caregivers outside…
The Importance of Acknowledging Minority Mental Health
Minority Mental Health Month is recognized to bring awareness to the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. According to McLean…
How to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
It is completely possible to prevent child abuse and neglect! Child abuse and neglect are dire problems that have longterm impacts on the health, opportunity and well-being of children. All…
#SocialWorkSuperhero Victoria Lynch
ASCI: What challenges and benefits have you experienced as a child welfare caseworker? Victoria Lynch: One challenge that I have seen is that everyone working in the child welfare realm…
Honoring Kinship Caregivers on National Caregivers Day!
According to The Children’s Bureau, there are over 407,000 children and youth in foster care and 34 percent were placed with relatives or kin. This is why, A Second Chance, Inc. strives…
A Discussion on Mentoring and Financial Wellness for Youth Aging Out of the System
Mentorship can play a critical role in preparing transition-age youth for adulthood. According to the University of Chicago’s Chapin Center, by age 26, 36% of young people who ‘aged out’ of foster…
Sharing Our Year in Review: A Strong Year of Kinship as a Culture of Learning
Through over 30 years of knowledge building for an effective kin-first culture, we know that kinship care work must include the kinship triad (the child, birth parent, and caregiver). In reflecting over…
Protecting ICWA Protects Kinship: SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments in Brackeen v. Haaland
Kinship stretches far beyond blood relation. This same belief is shared by American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) tribal communities, and why the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) is…
30 Years of Knowledge Building for an Effective Kin-First Culture: A Natural Family Resource for Children in and out of the Child Welfare System
Sharon McDaniel, Ph.D., EdD, MPA President and CEO, A Second Chance, Inc. I am an alumnus of what is now known as kinship care. Today we prefer to call this “lived…
National Youth Justice Action Month: Q&A with Shielah DeBlanc
President, Joseph R. Biden Jr. proclaimed October National Youth Justice Action Month (NYJAM). During National Youth Justice Action Month, I call upon States and communities to join me in seeking…