Hope Institute Online Learning
Creating a Family Environment
Family in the Context of Residential Care
A free course for the people who run residential programs for orphans and vulnerable children. 32 short lessons, 5 written reflections, and a downloadable plan for the next 12 months.
Start the courseFree. Email sign-in, no password.
32 lessons5 reflections6 sectionsDownloadable plan
What you will learn
- Why family is essential to a child's development, and what that means for a residential program.
- The hallmarks of family-style care: small groups, constancy of relationships, siblings kept together, a home-like environment.
- The Ten Key Questions to Make Your House a Home, one at a time, with questions for review and actionable steps.
- An honest self-assessment of your own program, and a written plan for the next 12 months.
How it works
1
Read a short lesson
Plain, practical writing. No video to schedule, no jargon.
2
Write your reflections
Answers save as you type and stay private to your account.
3
Download your plan
Every prompt and answer becomes one PDF: your assessment and action plan.
The full course outline
1
Welcome
1 lesson
- 1What Is This Course About?
2
Why Children Need Family
4 lessons
- 1Key Objectives for this Section
- 2What Family Means
- 3Always Child First
- 4Let's Reflect on ThisReflection
3
Family in Residential Care
8 lessons
- 1Key Objectives for this Section
- 2Where We've Come From
- 3Hallmarks of Family-Style Care
- 4The Constancy of Family
- 5Keeping Siblings Together
- 6Feeling Like Home
- 7Words on Family and Home
- 8Let's Reflect on ThisReflection
4
The Ten Key Questions, Part One
8 lessons
- 1Key Objectives for this Section
- 2Introducing the Ten Key Questions
- 3Question 1: A Family-Like Environment
- 4Question 2: Best Interests or Convenience?
- 5Question 3: How Many Children in Each Group?
- 6Question 4: Mixed-Age Groups
- 7Question 5: Caregivers as Genuine Family
- 8Let's Reflect on ThisReflection
5
The Ten Key Questions, Part Two
7 lessons
- 1Key Objectives for this Section
- 2Question 6: Meals in the Home
- 3Question 7: Age-Progressed Privileges and Responsibilities
- 4Question 8: A Voice in the Home
- 5Question 9: Do Kids Get to Be Kids?
- 6Question 10: Family for Life
- 7Let's Reflect on ThisReflection
6
Bringing It Together
4 lessons
- 1Key Objectives for this Section
- 2Bringing It Together
- 3Your Action PlanReflection
- 4Congratulations!
Sections open in order, so you take the course the way it is meant to be taken: one or two questions at a time.
Common questions
Directors, program leaders, house parents and caregiving teams in residential programs for orphans and vulnerable children, anywhere in the world. No previous training is assumed.
Yes. Every lesson, every reflection and the downloadable plan are free. There is nothing to buy at the end.
There are 32 short lessons across 6 sections, including 5 written reflections. Most people work through it over several weeks, one section at a time, because the reflections are meant to be discussed with the team.
No. You enter your email address and we send you a sign-in link. Your work stays tied to your email, so you can pick the course up on any device.
Yes, and we recommend it. The reflection questions are written to be taken into a staff meeting. Each person keeps their own private answers, so a team can compare notes honestly.
A PDF of every reflection question with your own answers: an honest assessment of your program and a written plan for the next 12 months.
Yes. A printable workbook with every reflection question and ruled space to write is available without signing in, which suits a staff meeting or a group discussion.
Yes. Your reflections are visible only to you. Nobody else in your program can read them, and sharing your finished plan is your choice.