“An important step towards global care reform”
SOS Children’s Villages UK responds to launch of the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform.
At SOS Children’s Villages UK we are officially endorsing the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform. The UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, will launch it on Wednesday 24 September at the UN General Assembly.
As a long-term implementer of care reform, we’re ready to work with governments to ensure children move safely (and successfully) from institutional care to family-based settings, such as kinship or foster care, while prioritising the prevention of family separation.
Working in over 130 countries, SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity supporting children without, or at risk of losing, parental care.
We’ve been a leader in care reform on the global stage for over seven decades, actively helping governments with research, policy guidance, and on-the-ground expertise to reform child protection systems.
Through our pioneering Family Strengthening Programmes, SOS Children’s Villages prevents the separation of children from their families across the world.
A statement from our CEO
Alison Wallace, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages UK, said:
“Every child needs to be given the chance to grow up in a family – where they belong.
“Back in 2009, SOS Children’s Villages worked with the UN on the development and adoption of UN guidelines for alternative care, recognising the need for children to only enter care when absolutely necessary, and for families to be reunited wherever possible.
“It is so encouraging to see the progress we have made as a global community of care leaders since then. Our local teams have spent decades working to address the root causes of family separation in their own contexts, offering practical and tangible solutions to make sure families aren’t split apart by circumstance.
“The Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform, spearheaded by the UK Government, is a really important step towards unifying the goals of so many leaders and organisations in this mission. As key implementing partners for the Charter, we look forward to working through our locally-led programmes to make sure this charter has a local, tangible impact across the world, led by local context specific expertise.”
Read our position paper on care reform
To find out more about our approach, click here.
More information
Read why global care reform must go beyond just closing orphanages in our article for Bond, written by SOS Children’s Villages UK Advocacy and External Relation Manager Hetty Bailey-Morgan and SOS Children’s Villages International Regional Programme Development Advisor Eyob Berhanu Negash.
Care reform in context...
Why children’s care must change and what we are doing about it
Many children are separated from their families not because they are alone or unloved, but because their families are under immense pressure.
35million at risk children in Africa given extra protections for first time
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Invisible wounds of war: children’s mental health in crisis zones
Children in emergencies are at greater risk of exploitation and mental health conditions. However, mental health support for children is grossly underfunded. In this long-read, SOS Children’s Villages explains how we’re helping and what needs to be done to ensure long-term improvements for children and families.
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Launch of the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform
We’re officially endorsing the Global Charter on Children’s Care Reform, launched on 24 September at the UN General Assembly.
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