The Charter is a response to the urgent need for change in how the world cares for children. Millions of children worldwide live separated from their families, often in institutions where they are more vulnerable to neglect, abuse, and lifelong disadvantage. The Charter calls on world leaders to: 

• Strengthen families through inclusive, accessible quality services so children are not unnecessarily separated. 

• Provide safe, family-based alternative care for those who cannot live with their parents. 

• End the use of large institutions for children. 

• Invest in children, families, care leavers, and inclusive services that support long-term wellbeing. 

• End harmful practices such as violence against children and orphanage tourism. 

Jill Nosach, National Director of SOS Children’s Villages USA, attended the UN launch and called it “an inspiring step forward in the worldwide movement to ensure that every child grows up in a safe and nurturing family environment.” 

A turning point for children without parental care 

For children who have grown up in institutions, the evidence is clear: they face higher risks of developmental delays, emotional trauma, and poor life outcomes. 

Care reform means addressing root causes of family separation, moving away from institutional care towards solutions that are context specific, in the best interests of the child and help children thrive in families and communities. It involves supporting families in crisis, strengthening foster care and kinship networks, ensuring children’s and young people’s meaningful participation in decisions affecting their lives, and providing comprehensive support for leaving care and aftercare services to ensure a successful transition to independent living.  

Ms. Nosach emphasised that care reform goes beyond closing orphanages: it is about building strong families, resilient communities and effective child-protection systems so that children are never needlessly separated from those who love them. 

Looking ahead, she urged governments and partners to move forward thoughtfully and inclusively, asking how children, young people, parents and caregivers with lived experience will be included in implementation and monitoring; how governments and donors will ensure reforms are adequately resourced so that siblings can remain together; and how partners will safeguard children and caregivers during the transition, meeting current needs while building new systems. 

To illustrate why family strengthening is at the core of care reform, she pointed to the stark reality behind children’s separation from their families: “Globally, eight in ten children in alternative care have at least one living parent. This stark reality tells us that millions of children are separated from their families not because of abuse or abandonment, but because of poverty, conflict, stigma or illness. Parenting is challenging even in the best of times; under conditions of war, extreme poverty or health crises, it can become overwhelming.” 

A growing movement 

The launch of the Charter at the UN General Assembly is being supported by a broad coalition of governments and civil society organizations – including SOS Children’s Villages. Through our UK association, SOS Children’s Villages UK, the organization contributed to the working group of civil society partners that helped shape the Charter, bringing in care reform expertise from across our federation.  

So far, eight governments have signed on to the Charter: Colombia, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Moldova, Norway, Paraguay, the Philippines and Ukraine. The Charter has also been signed by a growing number of SOS Children’s Villages national organizations, including Argentina, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Kosovo, Laos, Lebanon, Nigeria, Spain, Ukraine, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

By endorsing the Charter at both a federation and national organization level, SOS Children’s Villages “sends a powerful message to the global community”, says Eyob Berhanu, Lead Global Expert on Child Care Reform for SOS Children’s Villages. 

“We are affirming our commitment to meaningful change for children and championing the transition towards family- and community-based care systems, where children can grow up supported, protected, and connected to their communities. This means helping families stay together, supporting reintegration when separation has occurred, and ensuring quality family-based alternatives when needed.” 

These commitments are already becoming visible in practice. Across SOS Children’s Villages, more children are being successfully reintegrated into their families and communities, family-like care settings are becoming part of the community fabric, existing facilities are being repurposed to deliver new services, and the number of children in foster and kinship care is steadily growing. “This is what meaningful, sustainable care reform looks like,” Mr. Berhanu adds. 

Read an opinion piece on the Global Charter by Eyob Berhanu and Hetty Bailey-Morgan   

Building global momentum 

More than 45 international organizations have already endorsed the Charter, including UNICEF, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Children, Save the Children, Lumos, ECPAT, Family for Every Child, Better Care Network, and International Social Service. 

With governments now stepping forward, the Charter has the potential to spark reform efforts in many more countries – ensuring children grow up in the supportive families and communities. 

“Together - with humility, optimism and rigorous care - we can create systems that protect families, prevent unnecessary separation and give every child the love and stability they deserve,” Ms. Nosach of SOS Children’s Villages USA, said.