COMMUNITY-BASED CARE 

The privatization of child care management from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) has led to the development of Hillsborough Kids, Inc. (HKI), a partnership between five collaborating non-profit agencies in the Tampa Bay area—one of which is The Children's Home. This community-based initiative has been in the development stages for more than two years.

HKI and its collaborative partners have assumed responsibility for more than 4,700 children in our community. Although DCF will continue to bear the responsibility of investigating abuse and neglect cases, HKI has the responsibility of managing and caring for each child with verified instances of abuse. There are three Care Centers located around the county to allow easy and convenient access for the community and the children and families we serve.

Each HKI care center houses representatives and employees from each collaborative agency.  As one of the partners, we help care for and manage cases for more than 500 children who have been abused and neglected. As we pursue our mission to empower families and keep children safe, our involvement with HKI gives us the opportunity to further impact foster care, adoption, early intervention, and child welfare.