Trauma-Informed Care Remains Top Priority for All Star Children’s Foundation

July 2, 2021 – Sarasota

Despite the best efforts and good intentions of the child welfare system, children and families with foster care involvement still experience negative outcomes on a regular basis. “Studies reveal that children placed in foster care have experienced multiple forms of trauma,” said Dr. Kristin Hoffman, chief program officer for All Star Children’s Foundation. “This trauma, left unaddressed, contributes to lifelong struggles, including mental illness, health problems, homelessness, incarceration, and more.”

A partnership between All Star and Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation is seeking to build brighter futures for children in foster care and the families who support them. The effort is focusing on providing direct support for families currently caring for foster children, while also providing the most-cutting edge trauma-informed therapy to help heal the emotional tolls on the child.  

Dr. Hoffman explains that the All Star model features six core programs: evidenced-based clinical therapies, foster parent support, trauma training, biological family engagement, children’s enrichment programs, and trauma-informed systems integrations.

Barancik Foundation previously provided a $1 million grant in 2017 that supported the initial creation of these programs. A recent additional grant of $250,000 will help boost these efforts and allow the organization to not only focus on program delivery but also research.

“Historically, the foster care system has failed to address trauma,” says Teri A Hansen, President|CEO of Barancik Foundation. “This work will set a new standard in getting caregivers the resources they need to raise a family while also healing the invisible wounds of the child.”

Data from each component of the All Star model is captured and evaluated by a research team led by Dr. Sharon Ghazarian, chief research officer. “By capturing data that allows us to understand immediate and long-term interactions occurring among caregivers during a child’s foster care experience, we are better equipped to advocate for change, promote positive outcomes, and disrupt intergenerational cycles of trauma,” she says, adding that All Star’s long-term plans include dissemination and replication of its programming model throughout Florida and the larger United States.  

“We are so grateful that Barancik Foundation continues to offer critical support to All Star in pursuit of our mission” says Graci McGillicuddy, All Star’s co-founder and board president. “We are well on our way to creating an evidence-based model to transform the foster care system through innovation, science, and compassion.” 

For more information about All Star Children’s Foundation, visit www.allstarchildrensfoundation.org.