Alternatives to Catholic Charities Hawaii for Foster Care Preparation

Catholic Charities Hawaii (CCH) is the primary contractor for DHS foster care orientation and HANAI training statewide, but it is not the only option — and for some families, it is not the right starting point. The DHS licensing process runs through multiple providers and resources, and understanding your options gives you more control over your timeline and preparation than most applicants realize.

This comparison covers what Catholic Charities Hawaii actually provides, what other organizations and resources can offer instead, and which combination best fits different family situations.

What Catholic Charities Hawaii Actually Does (and What It Doesn't)

Catholic Charities Hawaii runs the Statewide Resource Families (SRF) Program, which is the main channel for recruiting, orienting, and training prospective resource caregivers under contract with DHS. Their services include:

• Orientation sessions: An initial overview of the foster care process, designed to introduce prospective caregivers to the licensing requirements and motivate them to proceed
• HANAI pre-service training: The mandatory 15-hour "Hawaii Assures Nurturing and Involvement" curriculum required for all resource caregiver applicants
• Post-licensing support: A Warm Line available seven days a week until 10:00 PM for licensed caregivers navigating placement challenges

What CCH does not provide:

• Licensing decisions (those are made by DHS)
• Home study visits (conducted by DHS licensing workers)
• Legal guidance on the ICPC or military portability provisions
• Neighbor Island-specific logistics guidance (their orientation materials are statewide, not island-specific)
• Guidance for families still in the pre-decision research phase

The CCH relationship with DHS means their orientation is designed to encourage you to proceed — it is recruitment-oriented, not neutral. For families who want an independent assessment of whether the process fits their situation, CCH orientation is not where to start.

Alternative Providers and Resources by Category

HANAI Training Alternatives

The HANAI curriculum is standardized statewide — the content is the same regardless of who delivers it. CCH is the primary provider, but other licensed training providers exist, and the hybrid/online delivery model through the Binti portal allows self-paced completion of some components.

Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF) — Hui Ho'omalu Program PIDF operates the Hui Ho'omalu program, which provides culturally grounded foster care support with a specific focus on Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families. Their training and orientation approach integrates indigenous values with the formal DHS licensing curriculum — a meaningfully different framing than the CCH approach for families where the hanai-to-licensing cultural bridge is a central concern. PIDF is not a universal alternative to CCH for all applicants, but for Native Hawaiian families who feel that CCH's orientation does not speak to their cultural context, PIDF provides a more resonant entry point.

It Takes an 'Ohana (Family Programs Hawaii) It Takes an 'Ohana is a program of Family Programs Hawaii that provides caregiver recruitment and support services. Their resource family basics materials are available online and provide a culturally contextualized explanation of the licensing process that some families find more accessible than the official DHS documentation. They are a support organization rather than a primary training provider, but their materials are a legitimate supplement or starting point for families who want to understand the process before attending any formal orientation.

RCG Portal (Binti) Hybrid Sessions The RCG portal at rcg.hawaii.gov facilitates the document upload and licensing tracking process, and the associated hybrid training model allows applicants to complete a significant portion of HANAI training online rather than in-person. This is not an independent provider — it is part of the DHS system — but it is functionally an alternative to attending all sessions through CCH in-person. Families on Neighbor Islands or with schedule constraints that make frequent in-person attendance difficult have used hybrid completion as their primary path through HANAI training.

Orientation and Process Information Alternatives

DHS CWS Direct Contacting your island's DHS Child Welfare Services office directly is always an option. DHS staff can answer specific questions about your circumstances, current orientation dates, and what to expect from the home study. The limitation is that DHS caseworkers manage active caseloads and are not resourced to provide individualized walk-throughs for pre-application research. Direct DHS contact is most useful for specific questions, not as a substitute for orientation.

LDS Family Services / Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The LDS church maintains an active foster care recruitment and support network in Hawaii, particularly in areas like Laie and Pearl City. Ward leaders and LDS Family Services can connect prospective caregivers with community members who have been through the licensing process and provide a peer mentorship pathway that supplements formal training. For families connected through an LDS ward, this community network often provides more contextually relevant guidance than CCH orientation alone.

Hawaii Foster Parents Facebook Group A community-run group that includes licensed caregivers and applicants across all islands. Not a training provider — but for families who want to understand what the experience actually looks like before committing to orientation, firsthand accounts from current caregivers are often more informative than formal orientation materials. The limitation is the same as any peer community: advice reflects individual circumstances, and accuracy on procedural details varies.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Who This Comparison Is For

Consider starting with PIDF / Hui Ho'omalu rather than CCH if:

• You are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and want your introduction to the licensing process to acknowledge and respect the hanai tradition rather than treat it as a barrier to overcome
• You want peer connection with caregivers from your cultural community before committing to formal orientation
• CCH's orientation felt recruitment-focused in a way that didn't address your specific questions

Consider the RCG hybrid approach as your primary HANAI path if:

• You live on a Neighbor Island and cannot easily attend in-person CCH sessions on Oahu
• Your schedule makes regular in-person attendance difficult
• You want to move through the HANAI curriculum at your own pace for some components

Consider LDS Family Services as a supplement if:

• You are connected through an LDS ward in Laie, Pearl City, or elsewhere in Hawaii
• You want peer mentorship from caregivers who share your faith context
• Ward leaders in your community are actively engaged in foster care recruitment

Catholic Charities Hawaii remains the right choice for formal HANAI training if:

• You live on Oahu and can attend in-person sessions on a regular schedule
• You are not specifically concerned about cultural framing
• You want the standard statewide orientation to understand the process from the primary contractor's perspective

Tradeoffs Worth Naming

There is no alternative to completing the 15 hours of HANAI training through a DHS-approved provider. Catholic Charities Hawaii is the primary approved provider, and while hybrid components exist, completing the full curriculum requires going through DHS's system. The alternatives described above are supplements, entry points, and additional resources — not replacements for the required training.

The biggest practical gap across all alternatives — CCH included — is consolidated, island-specific logistics guidance. CCH orientation sessions describe the statewide process. PIDF and It Takes an 'Ohana provide cultural context and community support. None of them produce a clear, written map of which CWS field office handles your island, which HANAI components are hybrid-eligible, how to coordinate a home study from Kauai, or what the full financial picture looks like across board rates, DOC supplements, Med-QUEST, and Geist Fund.

The Warm Line (808-521-9531), operated by CCH, is available seven days a week until 10:00 PM and is one of the most underutilized resources for caregivers navigating a difficult placement moment. It is not designed for pre-application research, but once you are licensed, it is a genuine support resource.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Catholic Charities Hawaii religious? Do I have to be Catholic to use their services?

No. CCH operates the Statewide Resource Families Program under contract with DHS and serves all prospective resource caregivers regardless of religion. Their orientation and HANAI training content is not religious in nature — it covers DHS licensing requirements, trauma-informed care, and the HANAI competencies. Families of all backgrounds and beliefs go through CCH orientation and training.

Can I complete HANAI training entirely online without going through Catholic Charities?

Partially. The Binti/RCG hybrid model allows some HANAI components to be completed online. Whether the full 15 hours can be completed without any in-person attendance through CCH or another provider depends on current scheduling and your island's training availability. Contact DHS CWS or Catholic Charities Hawaii directly to confirm which components are currently available online.

What is the Hui Ho'omalu program and how do I access it?

Hui Ho'omalu is a program of Partners in Development Foundation focused on strengthening Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander families in the foster care system. They provide family support, cultural orientation, and community connection for caregivers and families involved with CWS. Contact PIDF directly through their website for current program availability and services.

How is It Takes an 'Ohana different from Catholic Charities Hawaii?

It Takes an 'Ohana is a program of Family Programs Hawaii that provides caregiver education, advocacy, and support rather than formal DHS-contracted training. Their materials use 'ohana-centered language and are designed to be accessible to families in the pre-application and early application phase. They are a complement to CCH, not a replacement — their materials can help you understand the process and cultural context before you attend formal orientation.

Is there a foster care orientation available in Hawaiian language or other Pacific Islander languages?

PIDF and some community organizations affiliated with the Native Hawaiian community provide materials and support in a culturally indigenous context, but DHS orientation and HANAI training are conducted in English. Interpretation services may be available through DHS for specific languages — contact your island's CWS field office to ask about language accessibility accommodations before scheduling your orientation.

The Hawaii Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a dedicated HANAI training navigator that prepares you for all 15 hours of the curriculum — the Prudent Parenting standard, trauma and brain development, ambiguous loss, shared parenting, and cultural identity — so you walk into each session prepared. It also covers the hanai-to-licensing cultural bridge, island-by-island CWS logistics, and the full financial support picture that orientation sessions from any provider do not consolidate in one place.

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