COFACE is run along truly representative lines:

• The General Assembly is open to the representatives of all member organisations and lays down general policy each year.
•  The Administrative Council is COFACE's most important decision-making body. Its current Chairman is Yves ROLAND-GOSSELIN (FR).
•  The Bureau carries out the Administrative Council's decisions. As well as the Chairman, the Bureau comprises two Vice-Chairs, Vivie PAPADIMITRIOU (EL) and John Hebo NIELSEN (DK), the Treasurer, John Hebo NIELSEN (DK) and Anna TARABINI (IT).
•  Working Groups of experts from the member organizations study a range of issues: consumer and economic affairs, education, social policy, housing, health. COFACE-Handicap deals with issues around families which have disabled members. These groups write papers (especially policy positions) which are submitted to the General Assembly or Administrative Council for approval. Once adopted, they form the basis of COFACE's policy guidelines.
•  The Secretariat is based in Brussels. It represents COFACE and handles day-to-day operations. It is run by the Director, William LAY.
•  COFACE has official representation on different European Commission consultative bodies. It has ongoing contacts with the European institutions, in particular the Commission, the European Parliament, the Council and the Economic and Social Committee.
•  COFACE is a member of the Social Platform of Social NGOs, the Permanent Forum of Civil Society, the European Coordination for Foreigners, Right to Family Life, the ANEC (European Association for Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardization), EBIS (European Brain Injury Society), of NGO Committee on the Family (Vienna), and the World Family Organisation.