Duty of Care for Families on International Postings: A Guide for NGOs, Development Agencies and Embassies

September 7, 2026

Last checked: September 2026. Survey figures, duty station classifications and employment law change often. Treat figures as a starting point for your own research, and check legal points with your own legal counsel.

When an organisation sends a staff member abroad with their family, it is not only moving one employee. It is moving a partner who may lose their income, children who will change schools and doctors, and a household that will have to learn a new city, sometimes in a place with real health or security risks.

Most organisations know they have a duty of care towards the person they employ. Fewer have thought through what that means for the people who travel with them. This guide is written for HR teams, global mobility and security staff, and people managers in international NGOs, UN and development agencies, their implementing contractors, embassies and international schools. It covers what duty of care means, why families belong in it, and what you can do at each stage of a posting, including on a tight budget.

What does "duty of care" mean for internationally mobile staff?

In simple terms, duty of care is an employer's responsibility to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff from risks it can foresee. It has two sides.

The legal side. In many countries, employers have health and safety duties that follow staff when they work abroad. In the UK, for example, the general duty sits in health and safety law. In the EU, it rests on the 1989 Framework Directive on health and safety at work and the national laws built on it. How far these duties reach across borders, and to whom, depends on the country, the contract and the facts. This is a question to check with your legal counsel, not something to assume.
The ethical side. Even where the law is unclear, most organisations accept that if they ask someone to live in a hard place, they should prepare them, support them while they are there and help them get out if things go wrong.

There is a widely used international guidance standard. ISO 31030:2021, Travel risk management: Guidance for organizations, was published in September 2021. It applies to organisations of any size or sector, including NGOs, governmental bodies and educational institutions. It covers travel risk policy, risk assessment, and health, security and mental health risks. It is guidance, not a legal requirement, but it is a useful benchmark for "reasonable steps".

Why are families part of duty of care?

ISO 31030 focuses on people travelling on behalf of the organisation. Whether your formal duty extends to an accompanying partner and children is a legal question that depends on your country and your contracts, so check it with counsel. In practice, though, there are three strong reasons to include families in your planning.

You chose the location. When the organisation decides where a family will live, it knows more about the risks than the family does. Sector guidance on duty of care, such as a 2009 International SOS white paper by Lisbeth Claus, has long treated assignees' dependants as part of the picture.
The employee cannot do their job if the family is in trouble. A sick child with no trusted clinic, a partner who is isolated and unhappy, or a family left out of an evacuation plan will quickly become the staff member's main concern.
Families are why postings fail. In the 2026 Atlas Corporate Relocation Survey, 34% of companies named family issues as the top reason employees declined a relocation. The survey is mostly about moves within the United States, but international research points the same way. A 2022 Permits Foundation survey of 730 accompanying partners found that 53% were not working in the host country, and 84% of those wanted to work.

The cost of getting this wrong is high. An International SOS report released in 2024, with analysis by KPMG, estimated that a failed international assignment can cost up to USD 1.25 million, once salary, relocation, ongoing support and taxes are counted. Your numbers will differ, but family support is small compared with the cost of a posting that ends early. For more on why people say no in the first place, see our guide on why employees turn down international relocation.

Where do typical packages fall short?

Many packages for accompanied postings cover the move itself well. Shipping, flights, the employee's work permit and the partner's residence visa are usually handled. Some cover school fees and housing. After that, support often thins out.

From experience: In our experience, the support usually ended once the container was paid for and the partner's visa was sorted.

The gaps tend to be in the same places:

Briefings are for the employee only. The partner and older children often get no security or health briefing at all.
The partner's work rights are not checked. A residence visa does not always allow the partner to work. See our guide on whether your partner can work there.
Medical cover is unclear for dependants. Families are not always sure whether evacuation, mental health care or pre-existing conditions are covered for everyone.
The first months are left to the family. Finding a doctor, a school place, childcare, a safe house and a way to meet people is treated as a private matter.
Crisis plans name the staff member, not the household. Some evacuation lists and phone trees do not include dependants' details at all.

Most of these gaps are cheap to close. They need time, a checklist and someone who owns the question.

What should happen before the posting?

The weeks before departure are where you can prevent most problems.

An honest briefing for the whole household

Give the partner the same country briefing as the staff member, and offer an age-appropriate version for older children. Be open about the hard parts: security, health care, power and water, and daily life with children. Families cope better with difficulty they were told about than with surprises.

A look-see visit, if you can

A short visit before the move lets the family see housing, schools and clinics for themselves. If the budget does not allow it, a video call with a colleague's family already in the country is a good low-cost alternative.

Medical checks for everyone

Offer pre-departure medical checks for each family member, including children. Review vaccinations and prescriptions, and check that any specialist care needed is available locally or covered elsewhere. Our guide on healthcare abroad for families covers the questions families should ask.

Schools and childcare

Good international schools often have waiting lists, and many admit mainly in one intake a year. Tell families early, help with application fees or deposits where possible, and share what you know about which schools staff children attend. Our international school applications timeline explains the deadlines. For babies and toddlers, share what childcare options exist, as these are often harder to find than school places.

Partner work rights and career

Before the posting is confirmed, find out whether the partner can work legally, and under what conditions. If a bilateral agreement or special permit exists, help them use it. If they cannot work, say so clearly and early, and talk about what support you can offer instead.

A security briefing that includes the family

Adults in the household should know the security rules, the emergency contacts, the communication plan and what to do in an evacuation. Older children should know simple rules and who to call. Make sure every family member is on the organisation's contact list.

What should happen in the first 90 days?

The first three months decide whether a family settles or struggles. Small, practical support has the greatest effect here.

Safe housing. Have clear housing standards that cover security (locks, guards or alarms where needed), fire safety, electrical safety and child safety (pools, balconies, stairs). Check houses against the standard before families move in.
Backup power and water. In places with regular power cuts or water shortages, check that housing has a generator, inverter or solar backup, and water storage and safe drinking water. For families with babies or anyone on medication that needs a fridge, this is a safety issue, not a comfort.
Trusted clinics. Give families a short list of clinics, a paediatrician, a dentist and the nearest hospital with emergency care, checked by someone you trust. Include opening hours and how to pay.
Evacuation cover for dependants. Confirm in writing that medical and security evacuation insurance covers every family member, and give each adult the policy number and assistance line.
Emergency contacts. Give every adult a printed and digital list: security focal point, duty officer, medical assistance, embassy, and a local contact who speaks the language.
Family orientation. A half-day orientation for the household, or a "buddy family" already in post, helps with where to shop, how to get around, which areas to avoid and where other families meet.

From experience: Much of this was in place for us, and it helped. What made the biggest difference was always being introduced to people who were already living there, or who had arrived shortly before us. They could tell us things no briefing ever could. Some practical matters, like importing our car, we worked out ourselves. The harder questions, such as how to prepare the children or how to make friends as adults, usually stayed private within our family, even though they shape whether a posting works out in the long run. The piece that was missing every time was support for the accompanying partner. It is the area where organisations most often seem unsure where to begin.

A short check-in call with the partner at around 30 and 90 days is one of the cheapest things you can do, and one of the most useful. Ask how they are, not only how the staff member is.

What support matters during the posting?

Regular check-ins

Keep in touch with the whole family. Problems such as isolation, a child who is not coping at school or a health worry often only surface if someone asks.

Partner support

Partner support does not have to be expensive. It can include help with work permits, access to the organisation's networks, career coaching, language lessons, or a budget the partner can use for training or setting up remote work. Our guide on relocation spouse support covers what works and what it costs.

Mental health for the whole family

Postings in hard places can be stressful for everyone in the household. If you have an employee assistance programme (EAP), check whether it covers dependants, whether counsellors are available in the family's languages and time zone, and whether children and teenagers can use it. Make sure families know the service exists and that using it is confidential.

Schooling continuity

Changes to a posting, extensions or early transfers can land in the middle of a school year. Where you can, time moves around the school calendar, and agree with schools how learning and records continue if a family has to leave suddenly.

Hardship and non-family duty stations

In the UN system, the International Civil Service Commission classifies duty stations as H (headquarters and similar locations) or A to E, where A is the least difficult and E the most. The rating looks at safety and security, health care, housing, climate, isolation and everyday amenities, and is reviewed roughly every three years, or sooner if the situation changes. Separately, some duty stations are designated non-family, meaning dependants may not live there, usually for security reasons. Staff in such places typically receive rest and recuperation (R&R) breaks, which are separate from annual leave.

Even if your organisation is not part of the UN system, these ideas are useful. Be clear about which locations you consider suitable for families, review that list when conditions change, and plan how you support families who live apart during a non-family posting.

How should crises and evacuations include families?

Dependants in the plan. Every evacuation and contingency plan should list all household members, with names, passport details, nationalities, medical needs and contact numbers. Check this at least once a year.
Clear triggers for ordered departure. Many organisations move dependants out before staff when a situation worsens. Families should know in advance what might trigger this, where they would go, and who pays for accommodation and schooling while they are away.
Mixed-nationality families. A partner or child with a different passport may be covered by a different embassy or need a visa to enter the safe haven country. Plan for this in advance.
Support during separation. When a family is evacuated and the staff member stays, both sides need support: regular contact, clear information, mental health support and practical help with housing and schools in the new location.

What happens at the end of the posting and on return?

The end of a posting is often forgotten, but it can be as hard as the start. Plan repatriation for the whole household: shipping, school transfers and records, medical records, and time for the family to say goodbye. Children and partners may face reverse culture shock, and the partner may have a career gap to explain. Our guide on reverse culture shock explains why coming home can be the hardest move. An exit conversation with the partner and the staff member will show you what to improve.

A practical duty of care checklist for families

The low-cost column is realistic for most organisations. The higher-budget column suits strategic or high-risk postings. These are practical suggestions, not benchmark data.

Stage	Low-cost options	Higher-budget options
Before the posting	Country and security briefing for the partner; call with a family already in post; checklist of schools, clinics and childcare; clear written answer on partner work rights	Look-see visit for the family; pre-departure medical checks for all; school application fees paid; partner career coaching
Arrival (first 90 days)	Housing safety checklist; list of trusted clinics; emergency contact card for every adult; buddy family; check-in calls at 30 and 90 days	Temporary housing; relocation support for school and childcare; backup power and water installed; family orientation programme
During the posting	Regular family check-ins; EAP open to dependants; partner access to networks and job boards	Partner support budget; language lessons; counselling in the family's languages; school continuity arrangements
Crisis and evacuation	All dependants listed in plans and phone trees; annual check of details; clear ordered-departure rules shared in writing	Evacuation cover for all dependants; paid safe haven accommodation and schooling; separation support
End of posting	Exit conversation with staff member and partner; help with school and medical records	Repatriation support for the whole household; re-entry coaching for partner and children

Families can also use our guide on what to ask your employer about a relocation package. Sharing it with staff before they accept a posting starts the right conversations early.

How do you know if your family duty of care is working?

A few simple measures will tell you a lot:

Acceptance rate. How many accompanied postings are accepted when offered, and why do people decline?
Early returns. How many families leave before the planned end of a posting, and what were the reasons?
Partner feedback. A short survey of partners at 90 days and at the end of the posting.
Crisis readiness. What share of dependants are correctly listed in evacuation plans and contact lists?
Use of support. Are families using the EAP, the clinic list and the orientation? If not, do they know about them?

Review these once a year and share what you learn with managers.

Frequently asked questions

Is an employer legally responsible for accompanying family members?

It depends on the country, the employment contract and the facts. In some systems, duties may extend to dependants the organisation sent abroad, especially where it controlled housing, security or evacuation. Check with your legal counsel. Ethically, most organisations accept that families who move because of a posting should be included in planning.

Do small NGOs need to follow ISO 31030?

ISO 31030 is guidance, not a law, and it applies to organisations of any size. Small organisations do not need to adopt all of it, but it is a helpful framework for deciding what "reasonable steps" look like for your context.

What is the difference between a hardship duty station and a non-family duty station?

In the UN system, the hardship rating (A to E) describes how difficult living and working conditions are. A non-family designation means dependants are not allowed to live there, usually for security reasons. A place can be high hardship and still allow families.

Should evacuation insurance cover children?

Yes. If a family lives in a posting location because of the job, every family member should be covered for medical and security evacuation. Confirm this in writing with your insurer.

What is the cheapest thing we can do tomorrow?

Check that every dependant is listed in your evacuation plan and contact lists, and give the partner the same security and health briefing as the staff member. Both cost almost nothing.

Where to start

You do not need a large budget to take family duty of care seriously. Start with the free steps: include partners in briefings, list dependants in crisis plans, check EAP and insurance cover, and call families in the first 90 days. Then build up from there for your hardest postings.

Want help supporting families on international postings? We work with NGOs, development agencies, embassies and international schools to prepare and support families before, during and after a move. See how we work with organisations.

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