Making a Plan

There are many moving parts in an organizational transition and coordinating these efforts in a thoughtful way is imperative to creating a functional plan. Building on the organizational assessments carried out in previous steps, the organization considers human resource, financial, programmatic, and contextual factors to make a plan for the journey from residential to family-based care.

Organizations develop an overarching strategic plan, a budget/financial plan, timelines, and a monitoring and evaluation plan to track effectiveness throughout the implementation phase.

This plan is built upon the underlying objectives of the organization, and establishes a timeline with specific action items to move forward in the journey of transition in sustainable and effective ways.

Activities that may occur during this stage include forming a committee to help guide the transition process and hosting planning meetings/participatory planning sessions, including with young people in care. Efforts focus on determining the right end goal (full transition or a safe closure or divestment if being considered by a donor agency), determine the appropriate starting point for implementation and the appropriate time to begin to explore post transition programming. Planning also includes formulating strategic actions to address risks and build on opportunities, and estimation of the potential costs of transition throughout the implementation phase.