The HUI

The Hui Model

The hui model is an innovative concept where the community itself forms groups to support and mālama the keiki and families involved in foster care. Kōkua ‘Ohana works with churches, community groups, companies or individuals who are interested in helping improve foster care in Hawai‘i to realize their own unique vision of service. Current hui offer hula lessons, give Christmas gifts, organize respite (child-care) days and more. The possibilities are endless. The hui model allows the community itself to care for their own keiki and ‘ohana.

Steps to starting a hui in your community:

  1. Contact Kōkua ‘Ohana and we will meet you in your community
  2. We will make a presentation to you/your members
  3. Schedule a time to meet with those who expressed interest to identify how your church/organization can help resource families
  4. We will walk with your hui until you have your system up and running!

20 Ways to Help Hawaii’s Families and Children in Foster Care

-strengthen families, prevent abuse, provide hope-
  1. Become a Resource Family – be willing to provide a temporary home to a child.
  2. Child Abuse Awareness training – Participate in learning about the needs of children in Child Welfare Services custody and how your company, agency, or church can help. Arrange for a presentation on foster care.
  3. Pre-Service Resource Caregiver Training – provide meeting space, refreshments, and child care for families in training to become resource caregivers.
  4. Marketing Donations – Donate give-away items, gift certificates, or money to purchase promotional items or advertising to help recruit and reward resource families. 
  5. Adoptive parent and Resource caregiver support groups and training – provide meeting space, refreshments, and child care for resource and adoptive families. 
  6. Volunteer at or attend National Foster Care Month events in the month of May – events are open to the community.  See the Hawaii Events Calendar on the National Foster Care Month website 
  7. Adopt-a-Case Manger – Companies, churches, or community groups can "adopt" a CWS caseworker or neighborhood unit to provide monetary and moral support for the children and families they work with.  Some “adopters” establish ongoing monetary funds or respond to individual requests. Caseworkers have been able to provide children and families with everything from money to pay bills to drama lessons. 
  8. Blue Sunday (National Day of Prayer) – Usually the last Sunday of April churches are asked to take five minutes out of the Sunday schedule to pray for abused and neglected children and their families. 
  9. Children & Youth Clothing & Suitcase Closet - Donate storage space and volunteer time to organize donations.  Contribute clothing, personal items, toiletries, and suitcases.  Find, sort, organize, and distribute donations.
  10. VGAL (Volunteer Guardian Ad Litem) – be trained to become a VGAL so you can advocate for abused and neglected children and represent the child’s best interest in court.
  11. Free hair cuts or styling – identify hair stylists within your company, church, or temple to provide free hair cuts or styling for foster children, pay for haircuts, or hold a Cut-a-Thon to raise money for this type of program. 
  12. Food Pantry – create a food pantry at your community program, church, or temple, or find volunteers for existing Food Pantry programs. 
  13. After-School Child Care or Activities – Provide activities for foster children and their resource families. 
  14. Special occasion celebrations, toy drives, school supply drives – Create toy drives or donate to existing programs. 
  15. Independent Living supplies – for youth transitioning into adulthood from foster care. Items could include computers, towels, pots and pans, etc. 
  16. Meeting space, meals and snacks – for Ohana Conferences. These are attended by families whose children have come to the attention of Child Welfare Services to create plans to provide safety, well-being and permanency for the children
  17. Teen pregnancy prevention & teen parent support services – after school or weekend programs designed to keep youth engaged in various fun and educational activities.
  18. Child & Youth Summer Camps and Special Events – sponsor children in foster care to attend camps or special events.  This may involve providing fees, refreshments, etc. 
  19. Transportation Resources – provide bus passes, rides to appointments, and more.
  20. Respite Providers – People who will provide temporary, short-term care for children in foster care or who were adopted from foster care so resource families or adoptive parents can have a temporary relief from daily child care.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like fliers to display/distribute to your community.

Loading...