Research by psychologists and paediatricians in the 1950s showed that the care children received in hospital was detrimental to their emotional and psychological wellbeing.

In particular their almost complete separation from their families, then commonplace, resulted in emotional disturbances varying in degree which could have a long-lasting effect. As a result major changes began to be made which promoted the greater involvement of families in the care of sick children, changes which gradually gained the support of health care staff.
Beginning in the UK in 1961 voluntary associations for the welfare of children in hospital were set up in many European countries to advise and support parents/carers and inform and cooperate with doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals.
In 1988 twelve of these associations met together in Leiden (NL) for their First European Conference. At this conference the "Leiden Charter" was drawn up, which describes in ten points the rights of children in hospital (now the EACH Charter).

In 1993 EACH was established as an umbrella organisation for non-governmental, non-profit associations involved in the welfare of children in hospital whose goal is the implementation of the EACH Charter.