The Way We Care: A Guide for Managers of Programs Serving Vulnerable Children and Youth

This self-teach manual, published by Family Health International, is designed to help new and recently promoted managers of programmes serving vulnerable children and youth who are affected by disease, extreme poverty, and trauma. The manual seeks to promote a child-focused and family-centered approach and emphasises the newest literature, as it highlights the integration of prevention, care, and treatment and addresses both HIV and risk factors for other diseases.

The Way We Care aims to develop awareness and understanding, build capacity, and reinforce the knowledge of individuals and local organisations who must address the pressing needs and human rights of millions of vulnerable children. Because the manual covers the basic concepts of building resilience among vulnerable children, its information can be used by staff and local volunteers to help children enhance their coping skills, increase their access to locally available services, and improve their quality of life.

The manual also addresses critical values related to children's rights and how to obtain input from children on issues that affect them. In short, it covers key principles in the design, implementation, monitoring, and quality improvement of care and support programmes for vulnerable children.

Divided into four sections, the manual provides a broad introduction to all areas of practice that staff in this field should know:

1. The foundation section includes cross-cutting concepts and a primer on child development.
2. The planning section covers service-delivery issues, strategic planning, and basic project management.
3. The implementation section has a special focus on community mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation, care management, and quality improvement.
4. The final section addresses sustainability: volunteer and staff recruitment, supervision, and prevention of burnout.

The manual was written by Lucy Y. Steinitzin in collaboration with Kimberly Green, Marika Matengu, Tanya Medrano, and Lydia Murithi, with original artwork by Marika Matengu.