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SOS Children's Villages

SOS Children's Villages is an international child rights organisation focusing on family care and protection.

Lobbying Activity

SOS Children’s Villages urges focus on family-based poverty prevention

24 Oct 2025
Topic — This consultation gathers input for a new EU strategy targeting poverty reduction.
Message — The group wants social protection systems to prevent family separation and support care leavers. They also recommend coordination between health, education, and housing services.12
Why — A formal EU focus on family-strengthening programs would likely increase support for their work.34
Impact — National governments may face increased administrative burdens and less autonomy under EU-coordinated plans.5
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Meeting with Idoia Mendia (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Sept 2025 · Meeting with SOS Children's villages

Meeting with Viktoriya Petrikova-Voeten (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos) and Save the Children Europe and

24 Jun 2025 · Recommendations to the EU on the reform of Ukraine’s child protection and care system

Meeting with Maria Zafra Saura (Cabinet of Commissioner Michael McGrath) and Save the Children Europe and

20 Jun 2025 · Exchange of views on the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act and on children’s participation in decision-making

Meeting with Karolina Kottova (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos)

5 Jun 2025 · Activities promoting children rights, raising awareness, providing expertise and legal advice in Enlargement and Neighborhood East countries

Meeting with Maria Noichl (Member of the European Parliament)

20 May 2025 · Children's rights

Meeting with Roxana Mînzatu (Executive Vice-President) and

17 Mar 2025 · The preservation of children’s rights on the agenda

Meeting with Magnus Brunner (Commissioner) and

26 Feb 2025 · Child participation, protection of children’s rights in migration, protection of children from crime

Meeting with Glenn Micallef (Commissioner) and

6 Feb 2025 · Prioritisation of children’s rights in third countries

Meeting with Hilde Vautmans (Member of the European Parliament) and European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children (Missing Children Europe)

30 Jan 2025 · Children's rights priorities

Meeting with Glenn Micallef (Commissioner) and

24 Jan 2025 · Continuous prioritisation of children’s rights

Meeting with Marco La Marca (Cabinet of Commissioner Dubravka Šuica) and Save the Children Europe and

21 Jan 2025 ·  Presentation of CRAG  Pact on the Mediterranean: Safeguarding children in migration management  Middle East Strategy: West Bank  Family care in sub-Mediterranean countries  Youth policy dialogue

Meeting with Deša Srsen (Cabinet of Commissioner Glenn Micallef)

14 Jan 2025 · implementation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child.

Meeting with Deša Srsen (Cabinet of Commissioner Glenn Micallef)

10 Jan 2025 · Implementation of the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child.

Meeting with Biljana Borzan (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Nov 2024 · Children's rights

Meeting with Evin Incir (Member of the European Parliament) and European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children (Missing Children Europe)

16 Oct 2024 · Children´s rights

Meeting with Javier Zarzalejos (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

16 Sept 2024 · LIBE Committee priorities

Meeting with Saskia Bricmont (Member of the European Parliament) and Save the Children Europe and European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children (Missing Children Europe)

16 Jul 2024 · Children rights

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

21 Mar 2024 · Meeting with the Child Rights Action Group and the Child Advisory Board on the last Commission's achievements on social rights and social inclusion for children and youth.

Meeting with Milan Brglez (Member of the European Parliament) and Save the Children Europe and

1 Feb 2024 · Promoting the rights of the children in the EU

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Nov 2023 · General update

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament)

21 Sept 2023 · Child Guarantee

Meeting with Iris Abraham (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica)

14 Jun 2023 · Information meeting on the EU Child Participation Platform

Meeting with Saskia Bricmont (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Dec 2022 · Webinar : Making children's rights a reality for children in migration

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and Save the Children Europe and

27 Jun 2022 · Consolations with Youth Organisation on the Youth Action Plan

Response to Proposal for a Council Recommendation on long-term care

29 Mar 2022

SOS Children’s Villages International Contribution to the EU Care Strategy SOS Children’s Villages welcomes the European Child Guarantee, which will aim at reducing child poverty and exclusion across the EU. This initiative which focuses on improving the access of children in difficulty to essential services is most needed, especially as the pandemic has substantially increased inequalities and exacerbated already existing vulnerabilities. However, the children in need that the European Child Guarantee targets, are mostly living in complex and difficult situations and therefore, they require an holistic approach and response -going beyond the sole provision of some essential services. So the Care Strategy should complement the European Child Guarantee to ensure a more comprehensive and therefore efficient response to children in vulnerable situations, including children deprived of parental care or at risk of losing it. SOS Children’s Villages International calls the European Commission and EU Member States to ensure that the Care Strategy: - Sets out a comprehensive, positive, ambitious and life-cycle approach to child/youth care across the EU. - Supports and substantially expands the development of quality family strengthening programmes to prevent the separation of children from their families. - Foresees the provision and access to quality family and community-based alternative care for all children deprived of parental care, in line with the UN Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children; and continue supporting the deinstitutionalization process. - Includes the provision of quality support and monitoring for young people stepping out of the care system (consider expanding quality semi-independent living care programmes, projects to accompany care leavers towards adulthood; etc.). - Enables meaningful and inclusive participation of children, in the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, measures and programmes that concern them. - Sets up and support structured and continuous coordination and collaboration between the different services and stakeholders concerned -social services; child welfare services; healthcare; etc. - Substantially increases the valorization of child care professionals and promotes investment to improve their working conditions, remuneration; and ensures adequate trainings to prevent a shortage of qualified staff and lower care standards. - Foresees increased investments in the care sector as part of the responses to specific crises -such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the arrival of people fleeing conflicts and wars- to prevent negative impacts on the care sector and on societies at large on the longer term. - Plans allocation of sufficient funding to enable a robust implementation and monitoring of the Strategy in the long term. Specific Recommendation regarding the revision of the Barcelona targets: To scale up children inclusive access to early childhood education and care programmes, it would be critical to: - raise parents’ and communities’ awareness. - ensure the recognition of the diplomas of care workers from other EU member states or third countries -and who often have better access to children from harder to reach communities.
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Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and Plan International EU Office and

3 Dec 2021 · Discussion on Youth Action Plan

Meeting with Iris Abraham (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica) and Save the Children Europe and

9 Jun 2021 · Meeting on Child Rights Strategy / EC- International CSOs

Meeting with Ylva Johansson (Commissioner) and

29 Mar 2021 · Migration management on Lesvos

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and World Vision Brussels & EU Representation ivzw/aisbl and

8 Oct 2020 · Child Rights Strategy

Response to European Child Guarantee

7 Oct 2020

SOS Children’s Villages estimates that around 10% of all children worldwide are at risk of losing or have already lost parental care, and millions are still living in harmful institutions. These children are among those who have been left behind. They are neglected, abandoned, abused, orphaned or displaced. They are victims of multiple discriminations and miss the vital support that a loving family environment provides for a child to grow and thrive. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children deprived or at risk of losing parental care is likely to drastically increase because of important rise in associated risk factors. This crisis has highlighted the need for urgent and long-term investments in the most vulnerable children and in the protection of their rights. Investing in children means ensuring that all children, regardless of their status, have the same start in life and the same opportunities to fulfil their potential. Prevention, early intervention and family support policies can contribute to reducing inequalities at a young age and increase physical and mental health as well as cognitive and social skill, ensuring children are better equipped to enter adulthood. Providing efficient support to families in difficulty, especially in those challenging time, also means preventing unnecessary family separation and recourse to alternative care, enabling children to grow up in the loving environment of their family and to become strong and resilient adults in the future. Thus, we very much welcome the commitment from the European Commission to fight child poverty and social exclusion in Europe through the development of a European Child Guarantee, which will focus on the most vulnerable children and seek to ensure their equal access to vital services such as nutrition housing, healthcare, early childhood education and care, and education, The Child Guarantee should focus on: - leave no child behind and focus on all children living in alternative care - propose a comprehensive and robust approach – in line with the UN Guidelines for Children in Alternative Care – which would include support for families in difficulty to avoid separation and the placement of the child, the provision of a full range of quality alternative care options -tailored to the children’ best-interest and specific needs, and support for young people aging out of care - should take a life-cycle approach, applying to all children (0–18 years old), especially those in the most vulnerable situations - foresee adequate support to young people who are leaving care and starting an independent life - the Child Guarantee and the Youth Guarantee will support and complement each other - EU Member States national implementation plans should be based on thorough national needs assessment and should reflect EU Member States’ challenges and priorities on child poverty and social exclusion - foresee children meaningful participation throughout the whole process, preparing and informing them on how to participated during national needs’ assessment phases, the design of the national action plans, their implementation, monitoring and evaluations - Similarly, civil society should be actively included and consulted in the design, implementation and monitoring of the Child Guarantee, both at European and at national level - scaling up the protection of children on the move, including unaccompanied and separated children
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Meeting with Dubravka Šuica (Vice-President) and Save the Children Europe and European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children (Missing Children Europe)

22 Sept 2020 · Comprehensive Strategy on the Rights of the Child

Meeting with Dubravka Šuica (Vice-President) and Save the Children Europe and

5 Feb 2020 · Rights of the Child

Meeting with Jutta Urpilainen (Commissioner) and Save the Children Europe and

4 Feb 2020 · Meeting with the CEOs of 6 leading child rights agencies to discuss different avenues of cooperation.

Meeting with Janez Lenarčič (Commissioner) and

3 Feb 2020 · Education in emergencies, child protection, nutrition.

Meeting with Neven Mimica (Commissioner) and

11 Mar 2019 · Cooperation on youth

Meeting with Hilde Hardeman (Head of service Foreign Policy Instruments)

19 Dec 2018 · Exchange about the activities of SOS Children's villages

Meeting with Neven Mimica (Commissioner) and

6 Sept 2018 · Meeting to discuss the MFF & children’s rights in development and international cooperation