While civil society organisations play an important role in providing services, this alone fails to bring about the great shift needed to achieve lasting change for children living, or at risk of living, without the care of their parents. To make lasting improvements to the lives of these children, the alliance will support its’ members in advocating for governments to fulfill their obligations and pave the way to reform.

The alliance will also support governments where necessary with technical assistance to bring about the changes that are needed. Where government policies or practices are hindering activities to reduce the numbers of children without parental care, members will be supported to call for changes.

At the international level, the alliance will coordinate advocacy to international agencies. By forming a collective voice that represents many and using the resources available to an international organisation, the alliance will ensure that the experience and understanding of national civil society organisations can inform change at all levels.

Family for Every Child has established 5 key areas to focus its advocacy efforts and has already begun advocating on these issues.

Family for Every Child is united in a common goal to ensure that every child can grow up in a permanent, safe, family. We are committed to preventing unnecessary family separation and want to see an end to the use of large-scale institutional care for children, particularly children under three years of age.  We are supporting children out of institutional care and helping them to reintegrate back into their own families or to access quality alternative care. We are also committed to the participation of children and communities, including those hardest to reach, in shaping the world around them.

The coalition has identified 5 key advocacy objectives and is committed to achieving them together:

• Advocating for the active implementation of the International Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children by governments and donors.
• Call for a global ban on children under three being placed into institutional care.
• Ensure that global frameworks and guidance on child protection systems effectively prevent separation and respond to the care need of children.
• Advocate for models of social protection to include welfare structures necessary to care for children without parental care.
• Lobby for the protection of children, particularly those without adequate care to be incorporated into the post- Millenium Development Goal framework.