Department of Children's Services Facilitator’s Training Manual Implementing the Guidelines for the Alternative Family Care of Children in Kenya (2014) July 2019 This report was supported in part by Changing the Way We CareSM, a consortium of Catholic Relief Services, the Lumos Foundation, and Maestral International. Changing the Way We Care works in collaboration with donors, including the MacArthur Foundation, USAID, GHR Foundation and individuals. For more information, contact
[email protected]. © 2020 This material may not be modified without the express prior written permission of the copyright holder. For permission, contact the Department of Children’s Services: P. O Box 40326- 00100 or 16936-00100, Nairobi Phone +254 (0)2729800-4, Fax +254 (0)2726222. FOREWORD The Government of Kenya’s commitment to provide for children out of family care is demonstrated by the various policies and legislative frameworks that have been developed in the recent years. All children are equal rights-holders and deserve to be within families and community as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the Children Act 2001. The development of this training manual recognizes the role of the family and the community in the care of our children while the accompanying user friendly handbook aims to boost the skills and knowledge of case workers and practioners in the child protection sector. All efforts need to be made to support families to continue to care for their children and, if this is not possible, to place a child in a family-based alternative care arrangement, such as; kinship care, foster care, guardianship, Kafaalah, Supported Independent Living (SIL), or adoption.