Social transfers (e.g. cash, food and other in-kind transfers) are a key component of social protection and have a central role in contributing to the protection, care and support of vulnerable children. This advocacy brief proposes that in order to achieve maximum impact for vulnerable children, social transfers should be accompanied by a range of support services and policies that focus on family support, child protection, alternative care and livelihoods promotion. In particular, these services and policies aim to enhance social equity by improving the quality of support received and extending programmatic reach to those children who are most vulnerable and frequently overlooked. Often referred to as 'complementary' to social protection, these support services and policies should instead be considered essential components of any well-designed (or integrated) social protection package, since they enhance the potential of social transfers to deliver their full value. This brief focuses on social protection in support of vulnerable children living in high HIV-prevalence contexts. More specifically, it discusses the crucial need to address social vulnerability, in addition to economic vulnerability, when formulating social protection strategies that address the care, protection and support of vulnerable children in the context of HIV and AIDS.