The trustees of SOS Children’s Villages UK have made a “values-led decision” to split from its global federation, the charity’s chief executive has announced.
Writing on social media, Alison Wallace said: “Over the last year, it has become clear that not all parts of the SOS Children’s Villages federation attach the same weight to our values as SOS Children’s Villages UK does.
“It is said that your values don’t mean anything unless they cost you something. In December, the board of trustees made a values-led decision to terminate SOS Children’s Villages UK’s membership of the SOS Federation. This is not cost free or risk free. But it is the right thing to do.”
In a linked statement on its website, the charity said: “The existing structures we have been operating under as an independent UK entity are no longer best placed to serve our work, the direction we want to take in the future, and ultimately the children and young people we are here for.”
It said it would move in the coming months “to a fully independent organisation, with our own identity”.
In its statement, the charity said its work had developed to focus more on “supporting families to stay together” in recent years “rather than providing direct care to children through the historic ‘villages’ model of family-like care”.
A spokesperson for SOS Children’s Villages International, which oversees the federation, said it acknowledged the UK charity’s decision to withdraw.
“We respect this decision and recognise the contributions that SOS Children’s Villages UK has made to our shared mission,” they said.
“Our priority remains the wellbeing and continuity of care for children, young people, and families supported through our programmes.
“The federation remains committed to strong collaboration, accountability, and advancing children’s rights worldwide.”
Charity hasn’t aligned with federation ‘for some time’
Speaking to Civil Society, Wallace said her charity, which recorded an income of £6.14m and expenditure of £7.77m overall in 2024, does not currently receive funding from the international federation but pays an annual membership fee.
She said the plan to leave the federation had been forming for “three or four years” since the charity stopped directly funding children’s “villages”.
In 2023, SOS Children’s Villages Russia was suspended from the international federation, which said its programmes had been “used for political purposes”.
On whether this influenced the decision to exit the federation, Wallace said: “We haven’t really aligned with the federation as a whole, and some members of the federation at that level, for some time.
“And I think it’s clear that allegations have come to light about one or two of the other members of federation in more recent times, and I think that has just given impetus to our decisions. It’s certainly not driving force, but it’s been a contributor.”
Wallace said her charity’s work with SOS member charities in other countries would continue and that it plans to change its name once its exit from the federation has been finalised.
Last month, SOS Children’s Villages International announced Jessica Harmer as its CEO and Deepmala Mahla as chief operating officer.
In its announcement, the international charity said: “The appointment of the new executive board marks an important milestone toward the completion of the organisation’s transformation, aimed at ensuring sustained stability and strengthened impact for children, young people and families across more than 130 countries and territories.”
The original Societas Socialis (SOS) organisation was formed in Austria after World War II to support children left without parental care by the conflict.
SOS Children’s Villages International was then formed in 1963 and the UK charity was founded in 1968.
