Founded in 2005 in partnership with its Kenyan counterpart, the Children’s Transformation Project–Kenya, SAFE INTERNATIONAL began by responding to the urgent needs of children living on the streets of Kakamega, guided by a vision of family-based care and long-term security for every child.
Originally established as a residential shelter, the organisation’s model evolved as evidence and practice demonstrated that children thrive best in safe and nurturing families. This led to a deliberate transition away from long-term institutional care toward community-based family care, prioritising reintegration with relatives and strengthened support for care leavers. The former shelter was transformed into a short-term urgent rescue centre, becoming increasingly specialised over time, before residential services were ultimately closed altogether to enable an exclusive focus on family care, prevention, and systemic change.
Today, SAFE INTERNATIONAL’s work is anchored in a Family Hub model that delivers early intervention services to prevent family breakdown, reduce reliance on Charitable Children’s Institutions (CCIs), and address the root causes of separation, homelessness, and abuse. Alongside direct services, the organisation advances care reform at county level in Kenya, supporting local systems to embed family-based care as the standard for vulnerable children.
SAFE INTERNATIONAL’s mission is to protect children in families and catalyse community transformation, guided by a vision of a world where every child grows up in a safe and loving family.
Building on two decades of practice and partnership, SAFE INTERNATIONAL contributes to global care reform movements as a living case study of a successful transition from orphanage-based provision to family- and community-centred care. The organisation also actively engages churches and platforms in the UK to redirect charitable giving away from orphanage models and toward family care, advocating for funding, policy, and practice that place families—not institutions—at the heart of child protection.
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United Kingdom
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Main Areas of Work
Family Hub
The Family Hub is a community-based centre designed to keep children safe within families by addressing risks before they escalate into separation or harm. It provides a holistic range of early intervention services, including parenting support, counselling, fatherhood programmes, safeguarding awareness, and pathways to education and livelihood opportunities. By working directly with children, parents, and caregivers, the Hub strengthens families, prevents unnecessary placement in Charitable Children’s Institutions, and reduces the cycles of homelessness and abuse. Rooted in local partnerships and responsive to the unique needs of the community, the Family Hub is a model of prevention and family care that places children at the centre while empowering families to thrive.
Foster Care
Safe International's Foster Care Programme is a developing initiative that provides safe, nurturing, family-based alternatives for children who cannot remain with their immediate relatives. Currently operating at a small scale and observed as a pilot, the programme is being expanded deliberately to ensure it is contextually appropriate and firmly rooted in community values.
Each placement is carefully assessed and supported, with a strong emphasis on stability, safeguarding, and children’s long-term wellbeing. As the programme matures, it aims to establish a safe and sustainable foster care model that complements kinship care and reintegration efforts, while contributing to Kenya’s broader care reform agenda.
Care Reform Technical Support
SAFE INTERNATIONAL, in partnership with CTP-K, provides specialised technical support to the Government of Kakamega County in shaping the county’s care reform agenda. The organisations will serve as the secretariat for the proposed County Care Reform Committee, coordinating stakeholders and facilitating the development of an initial five-year, county-wide care reform strategy. A central component of this work is the establishment of a Gatekeeping and Placement Panel, designed to prevent inappropriate placements, prioritise family-based alternatives, and ensure every child has the opportunity to grow up in a permanent and safe family environment.
Alongside this systems-level work, SAFE INTERNATIONAL and CTP-K jointly implement the HomewardBound Programme, which partners with leaders of Charitable Children’s Institutions (CCIs) across the county. Through this programme, CCI leaders are equipped and supported to plan and implement the transition from institutional care to family-based care. Together, these initiatives are laying the foundation for a sustainable, county-wide shift that prioritises prevention, permanency, and the wellbeing of every child.
The organization also works alongside children’s organisations and church leaders, providing direct consultation on care reform, transition pathways, and safeguarding. This support equips leaders with practical tools and strategies while also fostering a deeper shift in mindset—placing the safety, dignity, and belonging of every child at the centre of their mission.
Family Tracing & Reintegration
The Family Tracing, Reintegration, and Care Leaver Programme ensures that children grow up in safe, supportive families rather than in institutional care. Referrals are received from government officers, police, community leaders, and local partners when children are found living on the streets, abandoned, or at risk of institutionalisation. Each case begins with comprehensive family tracing and assessment to identify safe and sustainable placement options, including reunification with parents, extended family, or kinship networks.
Following reintegration, children and families receive tailored follow-up support designed to strengthen family resilience, prevent re-separation, and promote long-term wellbeing. In parallel, dedicated support is provided to care leavers, equipping them with life skills, mentorship, and pathways to education, employment, and independent living. This holistic approach supports not only safe reunification, but also enduring family stability and improved life outcomes for vulnerable children.
Advocacy and Fundraising
Beyond its direct work in Kenya, SAFE INTERNATIONAL engages in global advocacy and fundraising across the UK and internationally. The organisation champions care reform on global platforms, sharing its 20-year journey as a case study of transition from institutional care to family-based care.
Through partnerships with churches, networks, and international donors, SAFE INTERNATIONAL mobilises resources and influence to redirect support away from orphanage models and toward strengthening families and communities—helping ensure that children everywhere have the opportunity to grow up in safe and loving families.
We asked this organization to tell us a little more about their learning and knowledge sharing practices. Here is what they said
The area of our practice we are most proud of is our commitment to transitioning from institutional care to family care. This was not an easy path, it required us to critically examine our own model, let go of long-standing practices, and embrace the complexity of reform. Yet it is also where we have seen the most profound impact: children once growing up in children’s homes are now thriving in families, and systems at county level are beginning to shift towards prevention and permanency.
We are proud because this journey reflects our deepest conviction, that every child deserves the love, stability, and belonging that only a family can provide. It demonstrates not only organisational courage but also the possibility of change, offering a living example to other organisations, governments, and churches that family care is both achievable and transformative.
One of the areas that has resulted in the most significant learning for our organisation has been our transition from residential care to family care. Over the past two decades, we have learned first-hand the complexities, challenges, and opportunities involved in shifting from an institutional model to one that prioritises prevention, family strengthening, and permanency for children. This journey has required us to critically reflect on our own practices, re-train our teams, and work closely with government, community leaders, and other Charitable Children’s Institutions to create a shared vision for reform.
Our greatest learning has been that meaningful change requires both systemic transformation and community ownership. It is not enough to close facilities; we must simultaneously strengthen families, establish gatekeeping mechanisms, and provide pathways for safe reintegration and foster care. These lessons have now positioned us to support county-level care reform in Kenya and contribute to global conversations on best practice.
We have begun to document this learning in resources such as our HomewardBound Programme for CCI transition support and our case studies on family care, which we share through the Community of Practice's and global care reform networks we are in.
As an organisation, reflection and evaluation are embedded into our culture and practice. We engage in regular monitoring and evaluation of programmes, including case reviews, staff debriefs, and community feedback sessions, to ensure that children and families remain at the centre of our decision-making. We also facilitate learning exchanges with government partners, community leaders, and other organisations, allowing us to test assumptions, refine approaches, and share emerging best practices.
Our leadership team conducts structured reflection at both programme and organisational level, using data and qualitative insights to adapt strategies and inform future planning. Key learnings are documented, shared with stakeholders, and built into training for staff and volunteers. This cycle of listening, learning, and adapting ensures that we remain responsive, contextually relevant, and accountable, while continually improving the quality and impact of our work.
Collaboration and knowledge exchange are central to how we work. We actively participate in national and global care reform networks, contributing our experience of transitioning from institutional to family care and learning from the expertise of others. At county level in Kenya, we are establishing (and serve as secretariat for) the Care Reform Committee, bringing together government officials, CCI leaders, and civil society actors to co-develop strategies and share learning.
Equally important, we prioritise learning with and from children, families, and communities. Through community forums, family follow-ups, and child participation activities, we gather insights that shape programme design and ensure our interventions are rooted in lived experience. Our approach is reciprocal: we share tools, training, and technical support with partners, while also adapting and improving through the perspectives and practices of those we serve. This culture of mutual learning strengthens not only our programmes, but also the wider movement towards family-based care.