Child care institutions are not closing down, government clarifies

WANGARI MWANGI AND SAMUEL MAINA- KNA

Charitable Children Institutions (CCIs) will continue to operate 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 that 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 childheaded 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.