Safeguarding on Rail Scheme
We successfully advocated for the government to prioritise safeguarding on the UK's rail network – through the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme.
Driving positive change for street-connected children
How we're creating a better world for vulnerable children and young people
Extending our influence
We work with governments, civil society and transport communities to strengthen policies and child protection systems so that street-connected children are found, supported, and placed into a loving family home.
Building impactful change
Through advocating for children and their families and strengthening our evidence base, we can ensure our support is effective, far-reaching and, crucially, stable.
We know we can’t build sustainable, impactful change at the scale it’s needed on our own. By working with others and providing evidence of best practice, we can enable our approaches to be replicated at scale, so that more children are protected in more places.
We aim to build alliances with others in the charity and development sector, in industry and in government, to make the case for robust policies that ensure vulnerable children and young people are seen, heard and protected. We lobby for additional funding to invest in effective practice so that all children can be raised in a safe and loving family.
Our advocacy goals
Our teams in Tanzania, India and the UK, work both together and individually to influence change for street-connected children and young people.
1. Supporting children in transport hubs before they reach the streets
Vulnerable children and young people often use public transport to run away from abuse or exploitation.
So, it’s crucial that rail and bus networks have measures in place to identify those children at-risk and take steps to protect them before they come to serious harm.
That’s why we’re pushing for safeguarding principles and interventions to be brought into train stations and bus terminals worldwide.
2. Strengthening child protection laws and care systems
Street-connected children are often left out of child-protection policies, which is how they end up slipping through gaps in protective systems.
When the system does intervene, it’s common for them to be immediately placed in unsafe, overcrowded care facilities, regardless of their needs.
At Railway Children, we’re advocating for street-connected children to be included in national, regional, and global policies on child protection and care reform. And we’re working with others in the care reform movement to create a world where every child can grow up in a loving, family-based environment.
How we're making change happen
Our approach focuses on gathering evidence to show why and how our programmes work and sharing models of best practice.
Demonstrating the benefits of our programmes enables others to replicate them across different systems nationally and globally.
We build relationships with decision-makers at local, national, regional and international levels to influence lasting change for street-connected children.
Political neutrality allows us to engage constructively with people across the political spectrum.
Children’s voices and experiences are at the heart of all of our work. We give them frequent opportunities to feed in on the change they want to see.
Not only do we champion young people’s voices, we actively empower them to speak to power directly and lead meaningful change for themselves and their communities.
We offer advice, expertise and training to government stakeholders, other children’s organisations, and to transport staff and communities.
Together, we are becoming a unified force responding to the needs of street-connected children and young people.
We use a collaborative approach, working with academia, schools, law enforcement and others for the best interest of street-connected children.
When needed, we join forces with other civil society organisations to further our objectives via a collective voice.
Key achievements
Rights for street-connected children
Working with strategic partners, we were instrumental in the drafting of UN General Comment no. 21 on children living in street situations.
Safe family reunions
We developed National Guidelines on Child Reintegration with the Tanzanian government and UNICEF to ensure safe family reunions around the country.
We’re determined to leave no child behind.
We are guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and General Comment N. 21 on Children in Street Situations, which promotes adopting a child-rights-based approach in engaging with street-connected children and young people.
Latest news & blogs
Stop cuts to international aid
We visited Westminster to campaign against the government’s recent cuts to overseas aid. Contact your MP today and make your voice heard.
Date: 22/5/2025
Reintegration – Strengthening families around the world
Learn about how we help families repair relationships and move forward together.
Date: 13/5/2025
UK aid cuts will be “devastating” for world’s most vulnerable children
Huge cuts to UK overseas aid put millions of children at risk of extreme poverty, homelessness and exploitation.
Date: 06/5/2025
Ragpicking to resilience
In Chandmari, a community near Ghaziabad station in India, poverty and child labour are daily realities. But one fiery young girl refused to give up on her education. This is her story.
Date: 06/6/2025
Operation Youth Voice – Young people’s stories on public transport
Do young people feel safe on public transport? We’re leading research to find out.
Date: 28/5/2025
Youth engagement: Empowering young people to create a better world
How we give young people the tools to drive real change.
Date: 11/4/2025