‘Better Homes for Children’ is a technical reference tool to help build capacity of Christians working with children, particularly those in residential care institutions.
It explores biblical reasons why children belong in families with practical guidelines on strengthening families, providing temporary emergency care and finding alternative family care for children. The needs of children worldwide are vast and complex, but faith communities can embrace the invitation to respond to the needs to care for and protect children and enable them to flourish in families.
How does it build capacity?
‘Better Homes for Children’ is a set of practical guidelines to help churches and organisations to implement or improve their work in family strengthening and to help child-care institutions who are ready to transition from long term residential care to short term emergency care for children with accompanying guidance on alternative family based care for children.
Methodology
‘Being Family’ and ‘Why Families Matter’ are Viva courses which discover the motivations for prioritising family-based care over Child care institutions. This course goes a step further acting as a manual with practical steps based on 3 themes:
- How to Strengthen Families
- How to respond with short term care, rehabilitation and reunification
- Finding alternative families for children
The document includes a self-assessment for organisations and churches taking part to identify weaker and stronger areas of their work and steps to take in order to improve their practice.
Find out more?
You can download our Better Homes for Children guide here. Español: Mejores Hogares Para La Niñez. If you have any questions or would like any further information, please do contact us on (+44) 1865 811 660 or info@viva.org
Other Useful Resources
Videos
- A World Without Orphans video highlights the role of the Church in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. The video explores both the historical role of the Church and how this continues to be central to what it means to be the Church today, actively engaged in caring for vulnerable children and supporting family-based care.
- The Importance of Family: A Church Perspective by Pastor Peter Kasirivu of Gaba Community Church. Pastor Peter of Gaba Community Church’s inspiring video on why family is important:
- Series of short videos by the CRANE Network in Uganda which provide a theological reflection on our commission as Christians to respond to children in families that will help you to meditate on this theme by going to