History & Philosophy

Mission: To Heal Children, Strengthen Families, and Build Community

Vision: CHRIS Kids is the premiere, go to, non-profit organization that provides leadership for the community in the areas of child welfare, mental health, prevention of youth homelessness and excellence in non-profit management.

CHRIS Kids was founded by the Junior League of Atlanta as a Menninger Foundation Demonstration Project in 1981 to bridge gaps in Georgia’s foster care system for children with emotional and mental health challenges. We help children entrenched in Georgia’s child welfare continuum including foster care, adoption disruption, intensive psychiatric treatment programs, psychiatric hospitals and juvenile detention centers. We believe that children are assets to be developed, not problems to be solved. We believe the best place for a child to be is with their own family if this is at all possible. CHRIS Kids provides therapy and counseling designed to help all kids learn how to behave responsibly at home, at school, and in the community. CHRIS Kids strengthens families and offers opportunity, hope and healing to all children.

Code of Ethics:
• We represent CHRIS Kids with honesty and integrity.
• We accept responsibility for our choices.
• We strive to embody the CHRIS Kids values in all that we say and do.
• We value and respect the uniqueness of each individual - their race, color, creed, citizenship
status, national origin, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical, mental
and/or medical condition, marital status or veteran status.
• We use our talents, skills and resources to provide opportunities for our employees, youth and
families to become the best that they can be.
• We commit to quality communication, critical feedback and professional, courteous behavior.
• We take ownership for ensuring tasks are done, regardless of where they originate.
• We are alert to and seek to avoid potential or actual conflict of interest and report potential
conflict of interest within the organization.
• We protect the confidential information of CHRIS Kids.
• We are accountable to those we serve and to those who, through their tax dollars and charitable donations, make what we do for youth and families possible.

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