ASCI’s kinship care model is culturally relevant, which helps us to deeply understand and connect with the families we serve. This means communicating and engaging effectively with families from diverse backgrounds, recognizing and respecting cultural differences, and empowering families to make decisions that are best for themselves.
Cultural relevance involves understanding both the origin culture of a child and their birth family, while also considering the culture of the prospective kinship caregiver or permanency home for that child.
ASCI furthers its commitment to cultural relevance by employing strategic hiring and training practices that cultivate a culturally aware, sensitive, and responsive staff and organizational culture.
Moreover, the agency prioritizes the best interests of our families when selecting the most appropriate caseworkers. For instance, if a caseworker is promoted but their former families feel comfortable with them, we may continue to have that caseworker support those families, as it serves their best interests. Regardless of the role, we always prioritize what is best for families.
As part of ASCI’s family conferencing practices (Family Group Decision-Making), culture is addressed on a deeper level. Facilitators, who are strategically trained and assigned, ask specific questions related to family dynamics and are prepared to guide families through resolving their issues on their terms and with their leadership. Families even have the autonomy to decide details like the food for their meetings, the meeting location, and more.
Beyond service delivery, we also provide interpreters when available and support groups and community resources that address the specific needs of various communities.
The bottom line is—whether it’s through service delivery, family conferencing, in-home services, support services, community programs, or any of ASCI’s other offerings—the agency is committed to creating the safest, most comfortable, and most culturally responsive environment for the families and communities we serve. Across race, ethnicity, age, religion, sexual orientation, and more, ASCI serves each child and family based on their individual needs.