STATEMENT - 31 January 2025

SOS Children's Villages International plans comprehensive organizational redesign

 

SOS Children’s Villages’ General Secretariat, the central coordinating body which provides support and services to national associations across the globe is implementing a comprehensive transformation process to increase resilience and responsiveness to the ever-growing challenges faced by children and their families worldwide. The transformation is intended to ensure long-term sustainability to better deliver on our purpose – ensuring children and young people grow up with the nurturing relationships they need to become their strongest selves.

The transformation will lead to two major changes for the organization. First, it will focus its global operations, which includes the planned closure of the Innsbruck office over the next three to five years. The organization’s registered office will remain in Vienna. This change will not affect the work of SOS Kinderdorf Österreich or the care provided to children and young people in Austria  

Also, as announced in September 2024, the transformation includes a second phase of staff reductions, amounting to approximately 20% of the General Secretariat’s 575 staff who are employed worldwide. This figure encompasses voluntary departures. In Austria, the staff notification process has begun. The positions of ten people in the Vienna office have been made redundant, and in Innsbruck the number is seven. 

The member-driven transformation, which comprises an extensive organizational redesign and a new operating model, will see resources shift closer to the communities we serve and locations of key influence. The proposed business model will offer the General Secretariat more flexibility to respond to changing local contexts, thus achieving greater impact. The transformation will also result in a funding model that is more responsive to members' needs. 

 

Our organizational redesign has demonstrated the need to consolidate our presence in Austria, and shift our resources closer to locations of greatest need and impact over the longer term. These are decisions we do not take lightly. While this change impacts our people and our institutional legacy in Innsbruck, they are essential in building an organization better equipped to drive sustainable impact in an increasingly challenging world.    

 

Our colleagues bring outstanding commitment, skills, and professionalism to their jobs, and I extend my heartfelt appreciation for their contributions. At the same time, we are confident that this transformation will strengthen our collective ability to support children and young people growing up without parental care or in families at risk of breaking down.

Angela Rosales, CEO, SOS Children’s Villages International 

 

SOS Children’s Villages International remains committed to ensuring the redundancies are done in a respectful, sensitive and supportive manner. Throughout the transformation process, SOS Children’s Villages will fully comply with local legal requirements and work closely with the staff council. As a responsible employer, we remain committed to address the social challenges which are connected to this situation. The layoffs are a strategic decision that we need to make to continue supporting our national member associations' ability to carry out their vital work to ensure that children and youth grow up in safe, secure and supportive environments. The well-being of children remains our top priority.

Latest News

Displaying results 1-6 (of 12)
 |<  < 1 - 2  >  >| 
More news