Hui Hoʻomalu | Partners in Development Foundation

Change a lifetime by getting involved in a child's life!

In 2006, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Human Services (DHS) awarded a master contract to Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) to form Hui Ho‘omalu (“A Group to Protect and Shelter”), to help enhance and advance Hawai‘i’s foster care system. As a Hui, this statewide initiative addresses the identification, recruitment, screening, assessment, training, ongoing support, and retention of resource families for children and families that are in the care of DHS.

In addition to being the master contractor, PIDF also provides the General Licensing service of the contract. This includes recruitment, training, and assessment of families who wish to become "General Licensed" resource caregivers, those who wish to provide care for unrelated children.

PIDF partners with Catholic Charities Hawai‘i and Family Programs Hawai‘i to provide services to resource families. Catholic Charities Hawaii trains and assesses families to become "Child Specific" resource caregivers, those who wish to provide care for a specific child they have an existing relationship with. Family Programs Hawaii provides support and retention services for all Resource Families.

Call or email us! We have staff on Oʻahu and the Neighbor Islands that can answer your questions and assist you with the licensing process.

Get In Touch

Can’t be a Resource Caregiver but still want to help?

Refer your friends and family! You could be eligible for a $200 ʻOhana Reward.
Invite us to come and share the need a your workplace, house of worship, or community group. We can do presentations (as short as 5 minutes!), share information at booths, etc.
Insert our ad into newsletters, magazines, paystubs.
Print and post our flyer or our brochure in your workplace, community center, local coffee shop, etc.

How to Become a Resource Family

Contact Us

Click here to contact our office or find your local community liaison.

Ready to Apply?

Click here to fill out our Initial Inquiry Form to start the process.

Resource Family Basics

There are basic requirements to be a resource family, starting with the desire and ability to accept a foster child into your home based on the reunification plan made by the state. Foster care is temporary, and a resource home needs to be a safe and nurturing environment for the child while a permanent plan is made. The number one thing to keep in mind is thatÂ reunification with the birth family is the goal for every child who enters foster care. If the child cannot go back, the next option is placement with relatives.

Click here to read Resource Family Basics, a handout that details basic information such as supports, services, roles of resource caregivers, and other helpful information.

Why Children are Moved from Their Homes

Children are moved from their homes for reasons such as:

Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Psychological Abuse
Neglect/Medical Neglect
Parents/caregivers need time and support to improve the home environment or learn to provide a safe one for their children.

When children have to be removed from their homes, the ideal place for them would be a relative or friend’s home that they are familiar with, a home in their neighborhood and school district, a culturally similar home. Most of the time this does not happen. Children are often placed with families and in areas that are completely unfamiliar to them. In addition to having to deal with the trauma of leaving their homes and families, they must transfer schools and get acquainted with a new community.

That’s where you come in! We need Resource Families of every cultural background and in every community in Hawai‘i nei.

Support

When you become a Resource Caregiver, you become part of a team.
The Department of Human Services and partner agencies like Family Programs Hawaiʻi provide an array of services to help support you.
Each child is assigned to a Social Worker who supports them and assures that they receive the services they need to reach their potential.
Each Resource Family is assigned to a Licensing Worker who provides support so the family can provide a safe, nurturing home environment for children.
Medical coverage is supplied for each child, as are monthly room and board payments to help families support the new keiki in their lives.
Family Programs Hawaiʻi provides services such as support groups, quarterly and annual conferences and training, Warm Line, and more.
Along with partner organizations, Hui Hoʻomalu puts out a quarterly newsletter for resource families called Building Connections.

HANAI Curriculum

Topics Covered

Training Videos

Assessments

Prudent Parenting

HANAI Curriculum

Caring for children who have experienced trauma is different.

The word hānai refers to the informal (or formal) adoption of a child into another family. (You can hānai someone into your family.) People who are interested in becoming resource caregivers or those who want to learn more about foster care in Hawaiʻi attend HANAI training. HANAI stands for “Hawaiʻi Assures Nurturing And Involvement.”

The HANAI curriculum is a total of 18 hours and is comprised of six training sessions. Three of these sessions are completed in-person with a trainer and a co-trainer. The other three sessions are completed independently by watching DVD segments. Completion of all six training sessions is a required part of the licensing process for all applicants.

Topics Covered

Some of the topics covered in HANAI include:

What is the Department of Human Services?
What do Resource Care Families do?
Child abuse and neglect
Attachment
Separation and loss
Disciplining

Training Videos

The H.A.N.A.I. curriculum is comprised of a combination of in-person sessions with a Trainer and a Co-Trainer and independent viewing of DVD segments. Completion of both segments are a required part of the licensing process for all applicants.