What we do
We want to end the systematic institutionalisation of children across Europe. We want to see children living in safe, caring environments. We believe this should be the case for all children, whether they’re disabled, from an ethnic minority or from an impoverished background. We know our vision is ambitious. We understand that removing children from institutions isn’t – in itself – enough. We must work with governments, policy makers and practitioners to enable children to grow up in a family-type setting. We do this in two ways.
By being practical and strategic
We have begun pilot initiatives in the Czech Republic and Moldova. We also provide technical assistance to initiatives in other countries that are led by other agencies. And we provide a range of professional resources – a telephone support service, toolkits, manuals – to practitioners working in countries to help them close down institutions, and replace them with high quality care.
By campaigning and advocating
We provide expert advice at the highest level – at the UN, the European Commission (EC): for example, we advise the EC's ad hoc group on deinstitutionalisation. We facilitate peer-to-peer support, bringing together practitioners on the ground with practitioners in the UK to help give children childhoods. We work with children so they have a voice and are involved in the deinstitutionalisation process. We raise awareness, in the UK, in Europe and across the globe, so that, one day, children won’t be locked away: so they can enjoy their childhood.
All our work is underpinned by five key considerations:
- We focus on making a direct impact on children in institutions or at risk of institutionalisation
- We work with senior professionals to ensure high quality in all our programmes
- We develop strategic partnerships and influence others to ensure resources are directed towards deinstitutionalisation. This makes it possible to bring examples of good practice to scale, engendering change at local, national and international levels
- We build exit strategies into all our work and do not replace the function of the State authorities or local NGOs. This helps to ensure that our projects are sustainable
- We make every effort to deploy our finances strategically, to find innovative ways to release resources and ensure value for money.
