For Jane Njeri, growing up in foster care meant surviving years of neglect, loneliness, and emotional pain. Today, as a foster parent herself, she is determined to rewrite that story for other vulnerable children.
“I wish to give the love I didn’t receive from my foster parent,” she told participants during a three-day child protection workshop in Kiambu County.
Her testimony set the tone for the training held at Word of Faith Church from December 2 to 4, bringing together prospective foster parents from Kiambu, Juja, Limuru, Kajiado North, Kiambaa, Kikuyu and Githunguri. The workshop aimed to equip them with the knowledge and legal processes required to provide safe and nurturing family-based care.
Kiambu County Coordinator for the State Department for Children Services, Rose Barine, officially opened the forum and reaffirmed the county’s commitment to strengthening alternative care, urging participants to become ambassadors for fostering.
“I urge you all to become great ambassadors for fostering. Children need supportive families as much as families need them,” she said.
The workshop sessions focused on legal requirements under the Children Act, including vetting, background checks, home assessments, court orders and continuous monitoring, with facilitators emphasizing that foster care is a temporary placement guided strictly by the best interests of the child.
Another participant, Lydia Pkaremba, a teacher, narrated how meeting her foster child in hospital transformed her perception of fostering, explaining that although she was initially unaware of the government procedures involved, she later appreciated their importance and expressed her belief that passion for children is essential to offering them better opportunities and protection.
Statistics from the Kiambu Care Reform Programme indicate that 128 children have benefited from alternative care interventions within the county. Of these, 87 children were placed under emergency foster care, 41 received long-term foster care, and 89 were successfully reunified with their biological families.
County awareness campaigns have reached more than 3,000 people through churches and community networks, while 387 vulnerable families have been supported through mediation, counselling and economic empowerment to help them remain stable and united.
Oversight structures formed to support care reform in Kiambu County, as stipulated by the Children’s Act, include the County Children Advisory Committees (CCAC), the Sub-County Children Advisory Committees (SCCACs), the County Care Reform Committee (CCRC) and the Sub-County Care Reform Committees (SCRCs), all working together to enhance coordination, strengthen accountability and promote effective implementation of family-based care.
Case management in the county has also improved significantly, with 244 children’s cases addressed through case conferences and more than 105 practitioners trained in trauma-informed care, child safeguarding and reintegration support.
“It’s time to take responsibility for our children by ensuring they grow up in loving homes and environments that safeguard their dignity and wellbeing. Truly it takes a village to raise a child and we must step up together to play our communal role for the betterment of our society and our country”, said Mary Wanjiru Menza, Project Coordinator Legacy for Children program, Child in family focus Kenya (CFFK)
The workshop further highlighted the growing participation of men in foster care, signaling a shift from traditional caregiving norms that predominantly involved women.
Participants, however, raised concerns such as delays in obtaining birth certificates, emotional strain caused by sudden reunifications and persistent community misconceptions about foster parenting. Facilitators noted that these challenges point to the need for stronger multi-agency collaboration to support foster families and enhance service delivery.
The workshop was organized by the State Department for Children Services Kiambu County in collaboration with the Legacy for Children Program (L4C Program) under CFFK, Other local implementing partners under the program were also present: GEEP Kenya and WezaCare Solutions
By Kevin Karanja
