Kids Central, Inc. is the not-for-profit lead agency selected by the State of Florida to coordinate child protection services in Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties (Circuit 5). The agency develops and manages a comprehensive, community-based system of care for abused, neglected and abandoned children and their families. Kids Central is committed to promoting the welfare of children through abuse/neglect prevention services, in-home care, foster care, and adoption.

OUR MISSION

To develop and manage a child-centered community-based system of care for abused, neglected and abandoned children and their families, in order to strengthen families and prevent them from entering the child welfare system.

OUR VISION

To be the most effective and recognizable lead agency for community-based care, providing child-centered practices that strengthen families and help create, support and maintain a safe environment for children.

OUR CORE VALUES

• Assure Child Safety
• Strengthen Families
• Manage Available Resources
• Diversify Funding

In 1996, the Florida Legislature passed innovative legislation to begin a privatized, community-based care model for child welfare. Child Protective Investigations are still performed primarily by investigators from the Department of Children and Families (DCF), but Florida’s Community-Based Care (CBC) system allows the state to contract with a single lead agency in each district to intervene when abuse, neglect or abandonment is found and to hold that agency responsible and accountable for creating safe, permanent homes for these vulnerable children.

In 2003, Kids Central was selected by the Florida Department of Children and Families to serve as the lead CBC agency for child welfare in Circuit 5, which includes Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties. Kids Central has built a coalition with these five (5) communities to identify, develop and manage service delivery and to ensure that families are fully connected to and supported by their communities. Kids Central contracts with service providers in each of the five (5) counties in Circuit 5 for case management services, and we partner with other resources in each community to round out the full spectrum of services needed by children and families.

Services provided by Kids Central include, but are not limited to:

• Case Management
• In-Home Prevention/Intervention Services
• In-Home and Out-of-Home Protective Services
• Emergency Shelter
• Kinship (Relative) Care
• Foster Care and Adoption
• Independent Living Skills
• Intensive Residential Treatment
• Post-Placement Supervision
• Family Preservation/Reunification
• Treatment for Emotionally Disturbed Children
• Primary Prevention Services

CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATON AND DETAILS CONCERNING FOSTER PARENTING, ADOPTION PROCEDURES, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND OTHER RESOURCES AND SERVICES AVAILABLE.