This article describes the current strategies of the  “Building a Europe for and with Children” programme, a programme of the Council of Europe. The strategy focuses on four areas of action: promoting child-friendly services and systems; eliminating all forms of violence against children; guaranteeing the rights of children in vulnerable situations, and promoting child participation. A further standard is available on children’s rights and social services friendly to children and families for ensuring that children lacking or placed outside parental care are given adequate treatment.

The current study seeks to examine the social images associated with children and youth in residential care and the respective care institutions in Portugal.

In this speech delivered at the 9th European Forum on the Rights of the Child in Brussels, Věra Jourová, EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality highlights the current dangers faced by many of Europe’s children today, including poverty and institutionalization.

UNICEF is calling for the rights and wellbeing of migrant children to be at the heart of Europe’s immigration policy.

This Compendium is a compilation of the most encouraging initiatives in the area of prevention of child abandonment and relinquishment that have been implemented and tested in the CEE/CIS region.

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

This article reports on a preliminary exploration of fostering across 11 European countries, reflecting different care and education traditions.

Work is important for promoting social inclusion, especially for marginalised or economically vulnerable populations. There is also evidence that work is associated with stability and social integration for young people who have left care.

In this UNICEF blog post, the author, Benjamin Perks, describes the many detrimental effects of institutionalization on young children and infants. The author highlights the 2012 Call to Action to eradicate placement of children under 3 in large scale institutions in Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe and the advances made since then in reducing the numbers of children in institutions in the region.

This article describes the recent rise in migrants and refugees coming to Italy from Libya and other parts of North Africa, especially the large numbers of unaccompanied children, and the efforts being made by aid workers to place those children in appropriate care.