Millions of children are living without appropriate care for various reasons such as violence and abuse, poverty, conflict, parental illness, HIV and AIDS, disability and humanitarian disasters etc. Many of these children live on the streets, in extended families, in institutions or in unsafe situations at home.

An estimated 8 million vulnerable children around the world live in poor-quality institutional care that is harmful to their physical, social and intellectual development. Yet four out of five of those children have at least one parent alive who, with support, could care for them.

Millions of children are on the move both within and between countries and very little attention is paid to their care and protection at national, regional or international levels. Children on the move, and especially those who move alone, are extremely vulnerable to violence and discrimination.

Save the Children is working to strengthen the capacity of families to care for their children and support the development of family-based alternative care options for children who cannot remain with their families. We work to ensure children have good quality care, nurture and guidance at a physical, emotional, social and psychological level, getting any mental health and psychosocial support needed.

Photo: Ayesha Vellani/Save the Children