This step is concerned with organizational assessment (where transition is being guided by organizations or individuals providing overarching technical support) or internal review (where the transitioning is being self-managed by the transitioning organisation).
 
Assessments or internal reviews conducted throughout this step may include:

• An organizational governance and accountability audit/review. This helps organizations determine whether there are sufficient governance structures in place to ensure strong accountability and to appropriately manage any issues that might arise throughout the transition or whether governance strengthening is required. This evaluation/assessment may look at aspects such as:
  • The legal status of the organisation and registration status of services/programs
  • The governing structures and governing instruments (constitution, by-laws, board structures)
  • The financial systems and processes, including ownership of key assets such as land and buildings, status of bank accounts, budgets and funding agreements and financial audits of expenditure.
  • Key policies and procedures, including those that pertain to staff, employment and complaints handling.
• A child protection and safeguarding assessment/review. This helps organizations determine whether their current child safeguarding procedures are sufficient, noting the increased complexity of safeguarding throughout a transition. It allows organizations to identify areas for strengthening to ensure clear expectations are set for how staff and stakeholders interact with children during the transition process. This assessment/review may include:
  • Reviewing existing child protection policies
  • Reviewing codes of conduct
  • Conducting new child protection risk assessments
  • Reviewing child protection reporting mechanisms and investigation and response procedures
  • Training and awareness for leadership, management, board members, volunteers, consultants, staff and children
  • Review of any historical or unresolved issues
  • Reviewing documentation and record keeping procedures
• Stakeholder and partnership analysis/review. This looks at partnership dynamics (between implementers and supporters) and helps organizations determine how best to engage with various partners in the lead up to and throughout the transition and how to manage relationships, partner expectations and minimize the likelihood of tension occurring. This analysis/review may include:
  • Identifying the full range of partners, their roles, and how transition will affect them
  • Reviewing the history of partnerships (their origins and how they have evolved over time) and how this may affect the nature or timing of engaging certain partners in the discussion around transition and their expectations
  • Evaluating the nature of partnerships, and the degree to which they are informal and relational versus formalized and contractual. This should also explore what agreements are in place and what bearing agreements may have on transition
  • Identifying additional donors (for those providing technical support to third party organizations undergoing transition) and engaging them in the discussion on transition.
• Residential care service assessment/review. This helps organizations develop a clear picture of the standards of practice within the residential care centre, the degree to which elements that enable transition or more specifically reintegration of children in family-based care are already in place or need to be developed and factored into the strategic plan. This may include assessing/reviewing:
  • Compliance with government registration and licensing requirements
  • Compliance with national minimum standards
  • Case files and children’s documentation
  • Policies and practices pertaining to:
    • Gatekeeping (assessment and best interest decision making on admission, reintegration and exiting care)
    • Child to caregiver ratios
    • Social work and practice standards for caring for children, including care planning and reintegration
    • Life skills and other training
    • Volunteering and visiting
    • 'Family connection and relationship
  • Human resources/staffing (qualifications, expertise, training)
  • Assets and the asset inventory
• Organizational capacity assessment/evaluation. This evaluation helps organizations determine how well placed they are to independently outwork the various phases of transition and where increased internal capacity (new staff) or external support (consultants/technical partners) might be required. It also helps organizations think about what post transition services they are well placed to offer. The types of assessments that might be conducted include:
  • Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT) assessments
  • Organizational Capacity Assessment Tools (OCAT)
  • Human resources review – what staff exists where (workforce mapping), capacities, roles in transition
  • Key Factors Analysis (PESTLE)
• Review and/or documentation of the organization’s history and origins. This review/assessment is relevant to those providing technical support to a third-party organisation or where new leadership has been brought into an organisation to facilitate transition. Understanding the history and story of origin can help practitioners develop the right approach, understand the sensitives and determine how to manage the transition whilst respecting the legacy of the organisation. It may include:
  • Inviting key stakeholders (founders, previous leaders, directors etc) to share the founding story of the organisation
  • Reviewing historical reports and documents.
  • Creation of a timeline of the organization’s history

Once these individual assessments/reviews have been conducted, the organisation or technical partner will need to analyze the findings to understand the implications for the transition strategy. The Transitioning Models of Care Assessment Tool can be used for this purpose.