Kids Central, Inc. is the lead agency for child welfare services in Circuit 5, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties. We develop and manage the delivery of a comprehensive, community-based and coordinated system of care for abused, neglected and abandoned children and their families. This includes contracting with service providers in each county for case management, adoption and other services needed to round out the full spectrum of care, in order to meet the needs of the children and families in each county.
Placement Unit
Placement Specialists are responsible for completing an Intake when a child is in need of an out-of-home care placement. The Specialist then completes an assessment in order to identify possible placements that would be the best match for the child based on the child’s age, history and emotional and/or mental health needs. The goal is always to keep the child in the most family-like setting, with their siblings, and placed within the county from which they were removed. Once a child is placed, the Placement Specialist tracks the movement of the child while in care and works closely with the Family Care Managers to coordinate services. All professionals involved with the child work collaboratively to ensure the children’s needs and the foster parents’ needs are consistently met.
Initial Licensing Unit
The Initial Licensing Unit, specifically the Foster Parent Recruiter, has the primary responsibility of going out into the community to identify individuals and families who would be good candidates for licensure as foster parents. The first step in the licensing process is attendance at an orientation where an overview of foster care is given. Upon completion of the orientation session, potential applicants complete the background screening process and, once cleared, are invited to attend Model Approach to Partnership in Parenting, which is the 30-hour pre-service class. Initial Licensing staff are committed to assessing applicants from the time the background screening process begins through pre-service training and completion of at least two home visits where all family members are interviewed. Initial Licensing staff ensure that all required paperwork is completed and inspect the home and premises to ensure compliance with the licensing standards as stated in Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 65C-13. At the conclusion of the process, the Initial Licensing staff submits a home study recommending the family for licensure, which is then submitted to the Department of Children and Families for final approval and issuance of the license.
Re-Licensing Unit
Once a family becomes licensed to be foster parents, they are then assigned to a Re-Licensing Specialist. This assignment is made based on the county in which the foster parents live. Each Specialist is responsible for approximately 25 – 30 homes. The primary responsibility of a Re-Licensing Specialist is to provide support to the foster parents on their caseload. This is done through monthly phone calls and a minimum of quarterly visits to the home. During home visits, positive feedback from professionals who have worked with the home and/or feedback from children who have left the home are shared and any concerns or problems that may be identified are addressed. Foster homes are re-licensed on an annual basis. The Re-Licensing Specialists work closely with the foster parents to complete this process, ensuring that paperwork is completed in a timely manner and all safety requirements are met. The goal of a Re-Licensing Specialist is to ensure Kids Central‘s foster parents consistently provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment where the children entrusted to their care can be children.
Raise money for 
