In preparation for the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) expert meeting on Family Support and Alternative Care in the Baltic Sea Region, May 2015, this background paper was crafted from relevant data and information on family support and alternative care in the eleven member states of the Council: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation, and Sweden.

The objective of this study was to identify progress and challenges in preventing family separation and safeguarding the rights of children in alternative care.

The entire study process resulted in four coutcomes:

• This background paper
• Family Support and Alternative Care – The Baltic Sea States Regional Report 2015
• The 2015 Tallinn Expert Meeting on Alternative Care and Family Support and its Meeting Report
• The Tallinn Recommendations and Action Plan on Alternative Care and Family Support 2015-2020, which will guide the regional action in this field for the years to come