Hundreds of thousands of children across Europe are growing up in institutional care. The consequences are devastating for children and families and deliver a heavy cost to society in the long term. Poverty, disability and discrimination are often the underlying cause of children being separated from their parents. Strengthening families and communities – so that they can look after their own children – must be a first priority.

As a pan-European campaign, we advocate for a broad range of quality alternative care options that avoid harmful effects of institutionalisation for children and provide a protective environment that would enable their normal living within the communities. We achieve this by promoting the transition from institutional to the family- and community-based care, also known as deinstitutionalisation (DI).

We asked 16 national coordinators and 5 international partners of the campaign: what can Europe do to keep children out of harmful institutions and to ensure that they grow up where they belong: in their families and communities? Find out their answers from this video.