Journey of Transition Toolkit
Toolkit Home | Implementing | Starting New Programs
Starting New Programs
Reintegration of children requires significant programming, but as most children are eventually cared for in family-based care, most organizations are able to start additional or expand their family and community based programs. Resources initially used to house children can be redirected to continue to support children and families in a variety of ways.
Family-based care programming may include providing specific services to strengthen local families, addressing root causes to family vulnerability, or supporting family-based alternative care, such as helping recruit foster and adoptive parents.
New or expanded programming to support families is informed by assessment of the current national and local context, recognizing existing opportunities and gaps in the formal and informal system of care and protection of children.
An organization may determine their new or expanded family-based programming very early in the transition process or near the end. The timing of this determination will depend on the organization’s access to resources to support new programs, their depth of understanding of the context, and relationships with key community stakeholders. Prioritizing starting new programming earlier in the process might also be determined because it will help build buy-in for the transition among key stakeholders as new programs can highlight the continuation of the organization’s mission that transcends the transition process.
Good Practices for Putting World Vision’s Development Programmes into Action Provides a series of child-centered development programming guidance tools, including Understanding Government Contributions to Child Well-Being, Identification of and Listening to the Most Vulnerable Children, and Building Consensus. (World Vision International)
Guide to Mobilizing and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Provides useful tools for individuals and organizations seeking to mobilize and strengthen community-led care for orphaned and vulnerable children. (World Vision International)
A matter of belonging: How faith-based organizations can strengthen families and communities to support orphans and vulnerable children Provides basic information on family-based alternatives to institutional care, and offers simple and practical guidelines to help your organization plan and implement projects to keep children in the care of families. (Christian Aid and UNICEF)
Journeys of Faith: A Resource Guide for Orphan Care Ministries Helping Children in Africa and Beyond Features dozens of examples of family-based care ministries and long-standing faith-based partnerships to support vulnerable children and their families. (Faith to Action Initiative)
INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Children Identifies a select group of strategies that have shown success in reducing violence against children. They are: implementation and enforcement of laws; norms and values; safe environments; parent and caregiver support; income and economic strengthening; response and support services; and education and life skills. (World Health Organization)
Community Action and the Test of Time: Learning from Community Experiences and Perceptions: Case Studies of Mobilization and Capacity Building to Benefit Vulnerable Children in Malawi and Zambia Examines the work of mobilizing community action—as opposed to inventions from external players— by reviewing lessons learned from community groups in Malawi and Zambia. (USAID).
Journey of Life: A Community Workshop to Support Children Helps communities to support both caregivers and children in need by encouraging reflection, dialogue and action among children, caregivers, and concerned members of the community. (REPSSI)
Facing the Crisis: Supporting Children Through Positive Care Options Aims to move beyond the critique of residential care to advocate for a series of positive options for children, wherever possible in their own families and communities. (Save the Children)
Say and Play: A Tool for Young Children and Those Who Care for Them Guides adults to identify and support the emotional and social needs of children. It is an interactive tool designed for orphaned and vulnerable children from ages 3 to 6 years and those who care for them. (Brakarsh, J.)
Meeting the Costs of Family Care: Household Economic Strengthening to Prevent Children’s Separation and Support Reintegration – A Resource Guide Assists program designers, funders, and implementers to select and incorporate appropriate and effective household economic strengthening measures into programs to preserve or reestablish family care for children. (FHI360)
Schools That Care: A Review of Linkages Between Children’s Education and Care Argues that children’s rights to education and care are inextricably linked, with a loss of adequate care commonly pushing children out of school, and education systems having the potential to help prevent unnecessary family separation, abuse and neglect. (Family For Every Child)
Better Parenting Training for Caregivers of Highly Vulnerable Children Trains staff and volunteers of organizations on how to strengthen the parenting capacity of parents and caregivers in their community, addressing attitudes and behaviors of caregivers when caring for children, relationships between caregivers and their children, behavior of children, and overall well-being of children. (FHI360)
Webinar 3: Strategies for Strengthening Family Care Presents key strategies for expanding the capacity of families to care for orphans and vulnerable children such as livelihood support, daycare support, emotional and spiritual support, and parental training that ease the burden of caregivers. (Faith to Action Initiative)
Key Strategies for Strengthening Families Introduces the importance of family-strengthening strategies including: livelihood support, daycare support, emotional and spiritual support, and parental training that eases the burdens of caregivers. (Faith to Action Initiative)
Strengthening Families through Livelihood Support Discusses key strategies for expanding the capacity of families to care for orphans and vulnerable children through livelihood support. It explains the importance of family-strengthening, and shares stories and examples of how livelihood support helps prevent the placement of children into orphanages. (Faith to Action Initiative)
Strengthening Families through Parent Support Services Discusses key strategies for expanding the capacity of families to care for orphans and vulnerable children through daycare support, emotional and spiritual support, and/or parental training that eases the burdens of caregivers. (Faith to Action Initiative)
Nurturing God’s Way: A Parenting Program for Christian Families Builds a foundation of parenting skills, examines both the Old and New Testament and helps participants apply biblical concepts to their roles as parents and caretakers of children. (Nurturing God’s Way)
