When Child Care Institutions Come to Learn From Our Transition Journey
Care reform becomes more powerful when learning extends beyond one organisation.
In September 2026, Olturoto Children’s Village (OCV) hosted stakeholders from Gilgil for a Learning Visit focused on one of the most significant journeys in our work: our shift from residential care towards family- and community-based care.
The visit brought together 192 participants, including representatives from the Department of Children’s Services in Gilgil, the Kajiado County Children’s Coordinator, Children’s Care Institutions (CCIs), community structures, families, care leavers, children and other stakeholders. Hope and Homes for Children supported the Gilgil delegation, creating an important opportunity for practical peer learning and exchange.
For Kickstart, this was more than an opportunity to share our experience. It marked a significant milestone under our Strategic Pillar 4: Partnerships for Care Reform; evidence that OCV’s model is generating measurable interest from other organisations and government seeking to strengthen family- and community-based care in their own contexts.
From Our Journey to Shared Learning
The day began with a reflection on why OCV embarked on its transition journey, what the organisation learned along the way, and how its work has evolved since moving away from residential care.
The message was clear: transition is not simply about moving children out of an institution. It requires careful preparation, assessment, child participation, family strengthening, community engagement, safeguarding and sustained collaboration with government and other stakeholders.
The Kickstart team shared both the progress and the realities of the journey, including the importance of preparing children and families, strengthening caregivers and communities, and continuing to support children and care leavers after transition.
Anne Kangethe, the Kajiado County Children’s Coordinator, described how OCV’s experience has shown that care reform can move from policy into practice:
“OCV is one of the homes I am particularly proud of. Its journey has shown me that the care reform agenda we are discussing and implementing is not simply a dream; it is a reality. OCV has demonstrated that it is both doable and achievable. We look forward to the day when we can visit a CCI that has begun its own transition, drawing on the learning and experience gained here at OCV.”
Her reflection captured one of the visit’s most significant outcomes: independent government validation that care reform works in practice, not just in theory.
Seeing the Change Through Families
The learning went beyond presentations. Participants heard directly from families who had experienced the transition journey and the support that followed.
One caregiver described the difference family strengthening and livelihood support made in her household. Before her child returned home, Kickstart supported her in establishing a ‘Shanga’ beadwork business. Over time, the business grew and enabled her to invest in livestock, strengthening the family’s ability to meet their children’s needs.
“We are deeply grateful to Kickstart for supporting us and walking alongside our family. Before our child returned home, they supported me to start a shanga business. The business has grown, and I have been able to invest in sheep and cattle, which have continued to multiply. Today, I am better able to provide for my children. That support has made a lasting difference to our family.”
Her experience demonstrates a core principle of Kickstart’s transition model: bringing a child home is only the first step; strengthening the family’s capacity to remain stable is what sustains the outcome. This is also where the model demonstrates accountability: economic empowerment functions as a measurable component of a broader child protection strategy, not a standalone add-on. Stronger caregiver livelihoods translate directly into more stable, better-resourced environments for children.
Children at the Centre of the Journey
Children and care leavers played a central role in the Learning Visit. Through songs, poems and creative presentations, they welcomed visiting stakeholders and shared their own experiences of transition.
The Kickstart team also explained how it prepares children for transition, including emotional and practical preparation, participation in decisions affecting their lives, and continued support as they navigate education, relationships, livelihoods and independence.
The “Home is Best” video reinforced this, with children expressing their preference for growing up within families rather than remaining in residential care; underlining that children’s voices form part of the evidence base behind Kickstart’s approach, not just its messaging.
Communities as Part of the Protection System
The visit also highlighted the role of community structures in sustaining family-based care. Community Child Protection Committees (CCPCs), local leadership, families and other community actors identify concerns early, connect families to services, and strengthen protective environments around children.
Participants learned how we have redirected organisational resources, staff capacity and partnerships towards preventing unnecessary separation, strengthening families, and supporting children within their communities.
A Message of Appreciation from Hope and Homes for Children
Grace from Hope and Homes for Children, who supported the Gilgil delegation, thanked Kickstart for its openness in sharing both the experience and the learning behind its transition:
“We deeply appreciate your willingness to share your transition journey with such openness and practical honesty. Your experience has provided valuable learning for our team from Gilgil Sub-County and created an important space for reflection on what care reform can look like in practice. Many thanks for opening your doors and sharing so generously.”
For us, this is precisely what partnerships for care reform should create: spaces where organisations can share what has worked, acknowledge what has been difficult, and learn from one another.
What the Visit Demonstrated
The Learning Visit moved the conversation beyond whether transition is possible, towards how to prepare for it, sustain it, and adapt it to different communities and contexts. It reinforced several evidence-based lessons that underpin OCV’s model:
- Transition is an ongoing process, not a single event.
- Family strengthening must sit at the centre of successful transition.
- Children’s participation in decisions strengthens outcomes.
- Communities are essential to sustaining family-based care.
- Economic empowerment measurably strengthens family resilience.
- Government partnership is critical to successful, credible care reform.
- Organisations can continue delivering meaningful impact after moving away from residential care.
As we continue developing our Care Transition Journey Handbook, visits like this one help capture and share practical, replicable learning for others navigating their own transition journeys, turning one organisation’s experience into a resource for the wider sector.
Partner With Us
OCV’s transition model is now generating interest from government and peer organisations because it works and is documented, evidenced, and replicable. To deepen the partnership and see it firsthand, arrange a learning visit to OCV to review the transition model, meet families, and assess outcomes directly.
To discuss any of the above, please get in touch with our team.