South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy

Name

South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy

Legal name

South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy

Website

https://childadvocate.sc.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Child Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG), Child Rights & Protection (BPADAGAG), Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC)

Keywords

• Child welfare services
• Foster care advocacy
• Guardian ad litem
• Care coordination
• Child advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. State Government Appropriations: The Department of Children's Advocacy is an independent state agency funded through South Carolina state government appropriations. Earmarked appropriations pass through the agency to nonprofit agencies including S.C. Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, Children's Trust of South Carolina, and Dickerson Child Advocacy Center.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy is an independent state agency that administers child welfare advocacy programs through five operating divisions: the Continuum of Care (intensive care coordination for children with severe emotional or behavioral challenges), Foster Care Review Division (citizen review boards for foster children), Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program (court-appointed volunteer advocacy), South Carolina Heart Gallery (adoption advocacy), and the System Improvement Division (Investigations Unit and Critical Investigations Unit handling complaints against nine child-serving state agencies). The agency serves abused and neglected children in family court, children in foster care awaiting permanent homes, and children with serious behavioral health needs across all 46 South Carolina counties.

Product overview

The South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy is an independent state agency operating as a platform of coordinated child welfare services. The agency administers five core programs: Continuum of Care (provides intensive wraparound care coordination), Foster Care Review Division (administers citizen review boards for foster children), Guardian ad Litem Program (trains volunteer advocates for court cases), SC Heart Gallery (facilitates adoption of foster children), and the System Improvement Division (investigates complaints and critical incidents involving nine child-serving state agencies). The agency also launched CAMS (Child Advocacy Management System) in 2023 as a modernized case management solution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Continuum of Care (COC) Provides intensive care coordination called High Fidelity Wraparound to children with serious emotional, behavioral, and psychiatric issues in South Carolina. Helps youth remain in their homes, schools, and communities while reducing the risk of state custody through foster care or juvenile justice.
• Foster Care Review Division (FCRD) Administers Foster Care Review Boards that review cases of children in foster care for a minimum of four continuous months in South Carolina. Coordinates meetings, paperwork, and attendance with necessary parties to advocate for permanent homes.
• Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program Recruits, trains, and assigns volunteer guardians ad litem for children in South Carolina DSS abuse and neglect cases in family court. Provides recommendations to the court in the child's best interest and remains on the case until the child finds a safe permanent home.
• South Carolina Heart Gallery Program of FCRD that works to find forever families for legally free children awaiting adoption in South Carolina. Partners with volunteer photographers to take portraits displayed on the program's website, social media, and art exhibits.
• Investigations Unit Receives, refers, monitors, and investigates complaints made by the public against nine child-serving South Carolina state agencies. Advocates for services children should receive and identifies systemic deficiencies.
• Critical Investigations Unit Receives critical incident notifications directly from child-serving South Carolina state agencies regarding fatalities, near-fatalities, or serious injuries of children in state custody, required within a 24-hour statutory timeframe.
• Hope Connects SC Kids Online interactive mental health screener for children under 18 in South Carolina. Allows parents/guardians to anonymously complete a self-check questionnaire and connect with professional resources. Launched as a partnership between DCA, the SC Department of Mental Health, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,233 children reviewed by Foster Care Review Boards in FY2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HylandcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Hyland provided its OnBase platform to build the CAMS (Child Advocacy Management System) for the Foster Care Review Division. The new software solution was launched in July 2023 to modernize management of foster care reviews, significantly streamlining internal processes through better document management and workflow automations, and integrating with the Department of Social Services' case management system.
• American Foundation for Suicide PreventioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Partnership with SC Department of Mental Health and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to launch Hope Connects SC Kids, an online interactive mental health screener for children under 18. This is the first such online screener focused on children's mental and behavioral health in the country.
• South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023Partnership with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention to launch Hope Connects SC Kids, an online mental health screener for children. Also partnered to launch the adult screener Hope Connects You in 2020. DCA leadership serves on SCDMH's Suicide Prevention Coalition and 988 Advisory Board.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Florida Office of the State Guardian ad Litem: Statewide volunteer-based program recruiting and training Guardian ad Litem advocates for abused and neglected children in Florida dependency courts. Direct operational peer to SC's Cass Elias McCarter GAL Program.
• California Office of the Foster Care Ombudsperson: California state-level ombudsperson investigating complaints about foster care services and advocating for system improvements. Comparable in mandate and oversight scope to SC DCA's System Improvement Division.
• Texas Office of the State Child Advocate: Texas state agency providing independent oversight and advocacy for children in state care, including foster care review, complaint investigations, and system-wide reform recommendations. Direct functional equivalent to SC DCA at state scale.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) National Association: National network of volunteer advocacy programs providing court-appointed advocates for abused and neglected children. Operates a parallel model to SC's GAL Program, though as nonprofit affiliates rather than a single state agency.

Broad incumbents

• Casey Family Programs: Major national foundation focused on reducing the need for foster care and improving outcomes for children in care. Operates system-improvement consulting work analogous to DCA's System Improvement Division.
• Children's Defense Fund: National nonprofit advocating for child welfare policy, foster care reform, and children's rights. Operates at broader advocacy and policy level than SC DCA's direct service model, but shares child welfare mission and reform agenda.
• National Children's Alliance: National accrediting body and membership organization supporting Children's Advocacy Centers nationwide. SC DCA funds the S.C. Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, making it a key ecosystem partner and adjacent oversight body.

Regional players

• Children's Trust of South Carolina: SC-based nonprofit focused on child abuse prevention and family strengthening, receiving earmarked appropriations through DCA. Comparable in mission but operates prevention-focused rather than post-removal advocacy.

Others

• South Carolina Department of Mental Health: Partner agency collaborating with DCA on Hope Connects SC Kids mental health screener and suicide prevention coalition. Operates the broader state behavioral health infrastructure that COC's wraparound services connect into.
• South Carolina Department of Social Services: SC's primary child welfare agency operating the foster care system that DCA's GAL, FCRD, and Heart Gallery programs support. CAMS integrates directly with DSS case management, making them a critical operational dependency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childadvocatesc
• Facebookfacebook.com/childadvocate.sc.gov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-carolina-department-of-children-s-advocacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about South Carolina Department of Children's Advocacy