The government has assured Charitable Children Institutions (CCIs) that they will continue operating despite ongoing reforms aimed at transitioning vulnerable children from institutional care to family and community-based care systems.
Nyeri County Children’s Coordinator Joseph Mburu said the reforms are not intended to shut down children’s homes but rather to strengthen child protection services while ensuring the institutions remain key partners in supporting vulnerable children.
Speaking in Nyeri, Mburu said the institutions will continue playing a central role in child welfare by expanding their responsibilities under the new care system.
He explained that the institutions will be expected to recruit additional social workers and staff who will monitor the welfare of children placed under foster care, guardianship, adoption and other family-based arrangements.
According to Mburu, the resources currently being used within institutions will continue supporting vulnerable children even after they transition into family and community settings.
“We are not closing the CCIs. What we are doing is ensuring that the same resources they have been using to support children in institutions continue supporting them while they are within families and communities,” he said.
He added that the institutions would also provide support to children living in child-headed households and other vulnerable family setups requiring assistance.
Mburu said the reforms will require charitable homes to seek additional funding and partnerships to sustain expanded programmes under the new system.
“In fact, the CCIs will be required to look for more resources from donors because they will need more social workers who can visit children in various homes. They will also be trained on how to utilize the infrastructure they already have because there is still a lot that can be done within those institutions to support more children,” he added.
The assurance comes as Nyeri County begins implementing the government’s 10-year Care Reform Strategy, which seeks to transition children from institutional care into family-based environments by 2032.
Mburu said the strategy is designed to ensure that children living in charitable institutions, separated from their families or at risk of separation are raised safely, happily and sustainably within family and community settings where their best interests are prioritized.
He said the Department of Children Services is currently conducting a situational analysis to establish the exact number of charitable children institutions operating in Nyeri County as well as the number of children requiring reintegration into family settings.
The exercise, he noted, will help the government develop an accurate database for planning and implementation purposes.
“We want to know the actual number of charitable children institutions within all sub-counties in Nyeri. We may discover that there are institutions operating outside our current records. Once the situational analysis is complete, we will formally launch the reforms and the findings will guide the direction we take,” Mburu told KNA.
According to Mburu, the reforms were informed by research findings showing that children raised in institutional environments are often negatively affected compared to those brought up in family settings.
He noted that family-based care provides children with emotional support, identity, belonging and stronger social development compared to institutional upbringing.
The programme, he said, aims to ensure abandoned, and vulnerable children grow up within supportive family environments where they can enjoy stable relationships and community integration.
Mburu explained that the programme will be implemented in three phases under the leadership of the State Department for Children Services.
The first phase will focus on preventing family separation and strengthening families economically so that parents and guardians are able to care for their children without resorting to institutional placement.
“The first pillar is prevention of family separation and family strengthening. When we strengthen families economically and socially, our children will not leave their homes,” he said.
The second phase will focus on alternative care where Kenyans will be encouraged to embrace foster care, guardianship and adoption for children currently living in charitable institutions.
Mburu said the government is keen on increasing awareness about adoption and fostering in order to encourage more families to open their homes to vulnerable children.
“The second pillar is alternative care where we are encouraging Kenyans to embrace adoption of children living in CCIs,” he added.
The final phase of the strategy will involve tracing and verification of biological families and eventually transitioning children from institutions back into family and community care.
Mburu said the government will prioritize tracing biological parents and members of extended families as part of reunification efforts.
He further disclosed that the government has already set aside Sh2 billion under the Child Welfare Fund as seed capital to support families and individuals willing to adopt children from charitable institutions.
According to him, the funds will help facilitate smooth transitions and support child welfare programmes across the country.
Mburu said the State Department for Children Services has already sensitized stakeholders including National Government Administrative Officers, religious leaders, managers of charitable institutions and social workers to ensure smooth implementation of the reforms.
“We are doing everything possible to ensure there are no shocks during implementation. Case management will be strengthened so that before a child is placed in a home or foster family, a strong bond will already have been created,” he said.
He explained that proper assessment and preparation will help prevent situations where children fail to adapt to new environments and end up returning to institutions.
“We want to avoid cases where children relapse or run away from where they have been placed and go back to institutions,” Mburu added.
By Wangari Mwangi and Samuel Maina
