Dear supporters,
At the heart of this issue of Family Matters is a simple but powerful idea: care is not passive. Care is action.
It is the action of protecting a child in a moment of crisis. Of standing beside a parent when life has become overwhelming. Of helping families stay together before they reach breaking point. Of listening to young people with experience of care and making sure their voices shape the systems designed to support them.
Conflict, displacement and poverty
Across the world, children and families are facing extraordinary pressures. Conflict, displacement, poverty, climate change and inequality are all placing family life under strain. For children who have lost parental care, or who are at risk of losing it, the consequences can be devastating.
But throughout this edition, you will also see what becomes possible when people act with courage, compassion and purpose.
You will read about children in Gaza who have been separated from their families amid the chaos of war, and the careful work being done to provide immediate safety, while keeping family tracing and reunification at the centre of each child’s care. You will read an update on baby Karam, whose story is a moving reminder of the difference that safe, consistent and loving care can make in a child’s earliest years.
You will also read about Christine in Zambia, whose journey back to her extended family shows why reintegration matters so deeply. When it is safe and in a child’s best interests, reconnecting with family can restore not only a home, but identity, belonging and hope.
A significant decision
These stories speak directly to our evolving work on care reform. We believe that children should grow up in families and communities, wherever this can be done safely. That means supporting families early, strengthening local systems, and ensuring children are only separated from their parents or caregivers when it is truly unavoidable for their safety and wellbeing.
This commitment is why SOS Children’s Villages UK has taken the decision to step away from the wider SOS Children’s Villages international organisation with a new name and identity in the UK.
This is a significant decision, and one we have not taken lightly. But as the needs of children and families have changed, our work has changed too. Guided by our responsibility to the children we exist to support, we believe this step will allow us to work more effectively, more directly and with greater impact for children who have lost, or are at risk of losing, parental care.
Loved, safe and supported
What remains unchanged is our purpose. We will continue to stand alongside children, families and young people in some of the most difficult circumstances in the world. We will continue to work with trusted partners, including SOS Children’s Villages around the world. And we will continue to champion every child’s right to grow up safe, loved and supported.
Thank you for continuing to be part of this work. Your support helps turn belief into action and action into lasting change.