The United Kingdom, in partnership with civil society organisations, invites children and young people aged 14 to 25 with lived experience in child care systems to apply for membership in the International Children’s Taskforce.
This is an opportunity to use your voice and expertise to directly influence policymaking and contribute to the global reform of child care, supported by Hope and Homes for Children and other partner organisations. We invite you to be part of the change outlined in the Global Charter.
What is the Global Charter?
The Global Charter on Care Reform promotes the idea that every child should grow up in a safe, caring, family environment, rather than in large-scale institutions. It calls on governments, organisations, and civil society to:
- Strengthen families by providing support to parents and communities to prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families;
- When alternative care is needed, ensure family-based or family-like forms of care (such as foster care, guardianship, or supported independent living), instead of institutional care;
- Gradually phase out institutional care wherever possible, shifting away from large institutions toward small, family-based, community-integrated, and inclusive solutions;
- Invest in long-term support services—for children, families, and care leavers—with a focus on protection, inclusion, education, and dignified living.
The Global Charter recognises that institutional care—although often created with good intentions—can cause serious harm: children in institutions face greater risks of emotional trauma, neglect, violence, and lasting negative impacts on their development.
By reducing these risks and creating sustainable alternatives within families and communities, the Charter promotes a future in which institutional care becomes a thing of the past.
🔹 Application deadline: 12:00 GMT, 19 December 2025
🔹 Applications must be submitted through the supporting organisation.
Detailed information and the application form are available at:
https://www.hopeandhomes.org/childrens-taskforce-on-global-care-reform/
We invite all interested young people to take this important opportunity to contribute their voices to a global vision in which every child has a home, protection, and love.
