Introduction
Orphan care and alternative care, covering foster families, residential care and aftercare, is a 5-day course for managers of orphan-care charities, foster and kafala family programmes and care homes, ending with an Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan for a case organisation. Many providers admit children without gatekeeping, match placements by availability rather than need and lose touch with young people after they leave care. Nominees already run or oversee care services and learn through case studies built on anonymised placement files and leaver records. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this orphan care and alternative care course.
Course Objectives
- Compare kinship care, kafala, foster families, small group homes and residential care and select the model that suits each child
- Apply gatekeeping and admission criteria based on the necessity and suitability principles of the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children
- Match children to caregivers with a structured matching matrix and record the reasons for each placement decision
- Design caregiver recruitment, approval and training routes covering attachment, trauma-informed care and daily routines
- Plan education continuity and transition to independence support for young people preparing to leave care
- Monitor placement stability, schooling, wellbeing and post-care outcomes with an agreed indicator set
Target Audience
- Managers responsible for orphan-care charities and sponsorship programmes for children without parental care
- Managers responsible for recruiting, approving and supporting foster and kafala families
- Managers responsible for residential care homes and small group homes for children
- Managers responsible for aftercare, mentoring and independent living services for care leavers
- Officials responsible for planning and licensing alternative care services in social development agencies
Course Outline
Day 1: Alternative Care Landscape, Care Models and Current Service Review
- Alternative Care Continuum From Kinship Care to Residential Homes
- Kafala and Foster Family Models Compared for Orphaned Children
- Deinstitutionalisation Drivers and Small Group Home Transition Options
- Child Development Evidence on Institutional Versus Family Care
- Current Service Baseline Review of Placements and Capacity
Day 2: UN Guidelines, Gatekeeping and Care Standards
- UN Guidelines Necessity and Suitability Principles Applied to Admissions
- Gatekeeping Panel Terms, Admission Criteria and Family Reintegration Checks
- Residential Care Standards for Group Size, Staffing and Routines
- Foster and Kafala Family Approval Standards and Home Study Checklist
- Child Participation and Complaints Mechanism Within Care Settings
Day 3: Placement Matching, Caregiver Training and Care Planning
- Placement Matching Matrix Using Child Needs and Family Profile
- Caregiver Recruitment Campaign and Applicant Screening Funnel
- Caregiver Training Curriculum on Attachment and Trauma-Informed Care
- Individual Child Care Plan With Education and Health Goals
- Placement Visit Schedule and Supervision Record for Caseworkers
Day 4: Placement Stability, Leaving Care and Outcome Monitoring
- Placement Breakdown Warning Signs and Disruption Review Method
- Education Continuity Plan for School Enrolment and Attainment
- Transition to Independence Plan for Housing, Work and Finances
- Care Leaver Aftercare Package and Mentoring Follow-Up Protocol
- Outcome Indicator Set for Stability, Schooling and Wellbeing
Day 5: Case Study Building an Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan
- Case Organisation Brief With Placement, Staffing and Leaver Data
- Gatekeeping and Matching Redesign for the Case Organisation
- Caregiver Training and Supervision Gap Analysis for Care Homes
- Aftercare and Outcome Dashboard Design for Care Leavers
- Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan Completion and Presentation
Skills You Will Gain
- Care Model Selection
- Admission Gatekeeping
- Placement Matching
- Foster Family Assessment
- Caregiver Training Design
- Individual Care Planning
- Leaving Care Planning
- Placement Outcome Monitoring
Why Attend This Course
- Deliver an Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan for a case organisation to the director of care services or the charity board
- Decide whether a child needs family reintegration, kinship care, a foster or kafala family or a small group home, using recorded gatekeeping evidence
- Avoid placement breakdowns, unsuitable admissions and care leavers left without housing, schooling or work support
- Share the matching matrix, home study checklist, care plan template and leaver follow-up protocol with caseworkers and house parents
Conclusion
Back at work, the participant hands the director of care services or the charity board an Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan that sets admission gatekeeping, matching rules, caregiver approval and training, and aftercare support for young people leaving care. Programme managers use it to decide which care models to expand, which homes to convert into small group homes and where to invest in foster and kafala families. After the first review cycle, the organisation should check placement stability, school attendance and the number of care leavers still in contact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should participants know before the orphan care and alternative care course?
Participants should already manage or oversee a care home, a foster or kafala family programme or an orphan sponsorship service. Bringing an anonymised placement file, admission form or leaver record from their own service helps them apply the case study exercises.
How does the orphan care and alternative care course differ from a child protection or social services management course?
It concentrates on running care placements for children without parental care: care models, gatekeeping, matching, caregiver training and aftercare. Child protection courses deal with recognising and reporting abuse, and social services management courses cover general casework, supervision and programme evaluation.
Why does orphan care and alternative care favour family-based placements over large institutions?
Family-based placements give children the individual attention and stable attachment that development research links to better outcomes. Large institutions struggle to provide this, so providers increasingly move towards kinship care, foster and kafala families and small group homes with consistent house parents.
What do participants take back from the orphan care and alternative care course?
Participants take back an Alternative Care Service Improvement Plan for a case organisation, with a placement matching matrix, a home study checklist, an individual care plan template, a leaving care plan and an outcome indicator set they can adapt to their own service.
