By Beth Bradford, Kelley Bunkers, Sully Santos de Uclés and Jo Wakia
Over the past several months, we’ve continued to hear about the ways Changing the Way We Care (CTWWC), implemented by Maestral and CRS,is influencing care reform efforts around the world. Tools are being adapted, learning is being applied in new contexts, and partnerships and approaches developed through the initiative continue to evolve. A year on, it has been encouraging to see just how many different forms that legacy is taking across countries and contexts.
Supportive supervision in Kenya: Approaches and tools developed through CTWWC continue to inform CRS’ supportive supervision for child protection practitioners, including recent training with residential care providers in Kisumu. A CTWWC case file review tool and dashboard were also updated to align with Kenya’s National Standard Operating Procedures for Supportive Supervision for Child Protection Practitioners, one of CTWWC’s final deliverables in Kenya.
Sharing transition learning globally: In June, the Transforming Children’s Care Collaborative hosted a Learning and Exchange Webinar on Addressing Social Norms in Transition Practice. Drawing on experience supported by CTWWC, Sister Verónica Esquivel from Centro Eudes in Tijuana shared the congregation’s journey from residential to family- and community-based care—bringing CTWWC learning into ongoing international exchange on care reform.
Case management across Latin America: CTWWC’s case management approach continues to be built on across the region. This includes a recently published government case management manual in Guatemala; a contextualized Case Management Manual for reintegration work by Cambiando Horizontes in Peru; and in Chile the development of a case management approach and transition manual by Alianza FAE.
Continued capacity building in India: National and local organizations within the India Alternative Care Network, with whom CTWWC collaborated, continue to lead working groups on family strengthening and transition of care services. Activities have included an adapted family strengthening framework for India, webinars and learning exchanges, training of trainers on global transition tools, and an India-specific transition community of practice.
Informing new thinking on family strengthening: CTWWC’s global family strengthening framework and learning from Kenya have also informed new scholarship, including the 2026 book chapter Family Strengthening in the Context of Children’s Care, which emphasizes proactive, strengths-based support to prevent unnecessary family separation.
Extending learning through faith communities: CTWWC experience continues to inform work with faith-based actors. A forthcoming report on more than 30 years of Catholic care for children includes CTWWC examples from India, Kenya, Guatemala, Peru, and Mexico. More recently, CTWWC relationships and transition experience have helped connect an organization considering the transformation of nine residential care facilities in Kenya with national partners able to support the process.
CTWWC was designed as a learning initiative, with a goal to influence care reform around the world. At Maestral we are delighted to see how the work continues to grow and evolve. A year on from its closure, that ongoing momentum is helping carry forward our shared goal of ensuring more children can grow up in safe, nurturing families.
Continue to access CTWWC resources and tools through the Better Care Network CTWWC web page: https://bettercarenetwork.org/about-bcn/what-we-do/organizations-working-on-childrens-care/changing-the-way-we-care