The SOS Children's Village 

Before starting any activities in a new country several studies are carried out into feasibility and necessity. Additional checks have to be made to see whether SOS Children's Villages will be able to offer a valid supplementary contribution to help children in need.

Finally, an agreement must be signed with the government in which the foundations for cooperation are laid out (child care model, child admission, the legal position regarding taxation, questions about plots of land, etc.).

The financial and logistical feasibility also has to be examined. Only then can the actual construction of an SOS Children's Village go under way, as long as there is a suitable plot of land, suitably located in an area established as having the greatest need.

Every effort is made to ensure that the children placed in an SOS family are those who are going to benefit most from its care. Only those children who are in need of a new home in a permanent family environment and for whom a more suitable care placement cannot be found are considered for admission into an SOS family. Generally speaking, children up to the age of ten can be admitted. When a group of siblings is admitted, group members' ages may, however, vary.

The SOS Children's Villages association of the respective country defines the criteria of admittance within the scope of the guidelines set up by SOS-Kinderdorf International and according to the economic and social, and legal requirements within the country.

The decision whether to admit a child is then made by a committee consisting of the village director, an SOS mother, social workers, and sometimes the national director, in co-operation with the authorities. This committee decides whether a child is physically and mentally fit to be admitted to one of our villages and whether the child is in need of a permanent home. Should there be any of the child's siblings in need of care, these children would also be admitted to the village.

The families in industrialised nations are usually smaller than the ones in developing countries. A typical SOS Children's Village family in an industrialised country consists of four to six children while families in developing countries usually have seven to ten children.

Contrary to many child care models promoted by other organisations, SOS Children's Villages does not separate siblings. That is why some families might temporarily have more children.

There is no specific age at which children have to leave the SOS Children's Village. Usually, they stay in the care of SOS Children's Villages until they are capable of looking after themselves; until they have completed their education or vocational training and can make a living on their own.