What is kinship care?

Kinship care, or family caring for family, is a natural, out-of-home placement option for children that successfully meets their need for safety, permanency and well-being. 

Impact

Better Outcomes for Children

Children in care have already experienced the trauma of being removed from their homes and families. Placing them with strangers only compounds that trauma. Placing them in the homes of relatives or fictive kin reduces the chance for further trauma, while at the same time maintains their connection to their communities and cultures.

Model

A Value for Family

As the only agency in the country that exclusively delivers services to the entire kinship triad (child, caregiver and birth family), our approach is pure kinship. We provide strengths-based, trauma-informed, culturally competent kinship care services that support stability and continuity and maintain a child's cultural identity and contact with their birth family.

Values

What Is Important to Us?

As a nationally recognized leader in kinship care services, A Second Chance, Inc., is dedicated to upholding the highest professional standards. In the service of children, we respect the families and communities we serve, as well as our own staff. This has been a priority since our inception.

How We Have Helped


ASCI has served approximately 31,000 children, 10,000 kinship caregivers and 30,000 birth parents since its founding.

Reunification

70% of our children reach reunification within the first year of service.

70%

Education

98% of our youth graduate high school, compared to the national average of 50%.

98%

Adoption

78% of our children have closed to adoption.

78%
ASCI Youth
The Hidden Costs of Kinship Care: What Kinship Caregivers Need to Know

When a child enters kinship care, life can change quickly. Along with providing a safe, stable, and loving home, kinship caregivers may suddenly take on additional expenses for clothing, food,…

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Children's Health
Navigating Medicaid Eligibility for Kinship Children

When you welcome a child into your home, your first priority is ensuring their safety, comfort, and well-being. Once immediate physical needs like meals and a quiet bedroom are set…

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Education
Foster Care Stipends vs. Relative Pay: Financial Realities

When a child comes into your care, the financial responsibilities can begin immediately. Food, clothing, transportation, school supplies, medical needs, and everyday household expenses can add up quickly. For grandparents,…

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ASCI Youth
How MyMy and GamGam Are Starting the School Year Strong with ASCI

Each month, A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI) amplifies the voices of our kinship families. Through these stories, we highlight the experiences of children and caregivers navigating kinship care and the…

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