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?

ASCI values diversity, equity and inclusion. We show our kinship families and birth families respect and help them maintain their dignity. We are honest and transparent. And we always consider the culture of those with whom we interact, responding sensitively and respectfully based on their beliefs, practices and needs.

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%
Uncategorized
Community Change Maker Spotlight: Bible Center Church

In celebration of National Kinship Care Month, A Second Chance, Inc. is honored to feature Pastor Cynthia Wallace of Bible Center Church in Pittsburgh as part of our new Community…

Read More about [title]
Uncategorized
From ASCI Caregiver to Enrichment Trainer: Christina Riley’s Kinship Care Journey

Each month, A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI) amplifies the voices of our kinship families. As an agency committed to creating a safe, nurturing, and supportive environment for children placed in…

Read More about [title]
Uncategorized
Fashion Forward Kinspire Youth Empowered Through Style and Storytelling

When you think of a fashion show or a broadway musical, you might imagine bright lights, bold designs, or the synchronized dancing and singing on stage. But for the youth,…

Read More about [title]
Uncategorized
Celebrating Self-Improvement Month: A Guide for Families and Youth in Care

September is Self-Improvement Month, a time to focus on growth, reflection, and positive change. For families and youth in care, it’s an opportunity to build stronger relationships, enhance emotional resilience,…

Read More about [title]