Researching the factors contributing to the separation of children from their families is particularly challenging due to the overrepresentation of higher-income countries in existing literature and the influence of both the objective capacity and subjective perspectives of those recording the reasons for children’s admission to alternative care. This makes it difficult to consistently understand and document the phenomenon.

To address this challenge, the report integrates key findings from a systematic literature review of global research, and it introduces new data from country studies across various income levels, filling gaps in current research to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to family separation and ways to prevent it.

In this report, SOS Children's Villages and partners from 10 academic institutions from around the world, have researched the phenomenon of child-family separation and what can be done to prevent it. This research tries to fill a global gap of information regarding middle and low-income countries, the contexts of which are not well understood.

Join care experienced people (CEP) and supporters from all over the world in a series of online networking events designed to bring good humans together. CEP from South Africa and UK are inviting CEP and supporters from everywhere on the planet to connect - because chance differences of background, geography or circumstances should not matter! 

Discover the findings of an extensive global research report highlighting the factors contributing to the separation of children from their families and providing recommendations to prevent this from happening.

Case studies from the Global South provide insights on how to effectively support children who have experienced violence.

This year's report provides a snapshot of the key trends and promising initiatives shaping the social service workforce. It zeroes in on a particularly important issue: the critical role that the workforce plays in ensuring children can always benefit from safe and stable family care—whether that be in their own family or through family-based alternative care, when needed.

The biennial Together for Families Conference is a unique virtual event that connects various stakeholders from across the globe in the Family Support and Strengthening Field to focus on best and promising practice for supporting families’ advancement. 

Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, presented her report "Children with albinism and the right to family life" during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on 21 October, 2024.

This thematic brief helps government policy and decision-makers understand the essential role of the social service workforce and how to strengthen that workforce in line with their national commitments to care reform and regional and global conventions. It includes high level guidance, recommendations and practical examples from diverse contexts for consideration when developing, supporting and strengthening the social service workforce.