ONLINE REGISTRATIONS OPEN NEXT WEEK - apologies for the delay!

 From 4-7 July 2010, at the University of Sussex (Brighton, England), IFCO will hold its European Regional Training Seminar which will bring together young people, foster carers and organisations which are committed to the role of foster care in transforming the lives of children and young people.

Potential speakers and workshop leaders from all sections of the
foster care field are invited to submit papers relevant to the development of
foster care and quality care solutions for children in out of home care.
Workshops which are both interactive and youth-friendly are preferred.

The DEADLINE for sending SUBMISSIONS ONLINE is 15 FEBRUARY 2010.

Click here to know more and submit your paper online.

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IFCO has been inundated with emails and phone calls on this topic.  On 16 January we published the "Guiding Principles" (see below) which were originally produced post-tsunami & represented the views of IFCO and the following agencies: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK (SCUK), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),and World Vision International (WVI). 

Our answers to all the well-meaning people who have contacted us have been consistent with these Guiding Principles and also the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children which were welcomed by the United Nations in November 2009. 

Following the recent arrest of 10 American citizens in Haiti the New York Times has published an interesting online piece with a range of opinions & comments:

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/01/haitis-children-and-the-adoption-question/?emc=eta1

IFCO MEMBERS MAY ALSO LOG IN AND COMMENT HERE ON THE IFCO WEB SITE (see Members login on the left).

>PLEASE CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE TO READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE<

These Guiding Principles were originally developed in response to the 2004 Asian Tsunami and represented the views of the following agencies: the International Committee of the RedCross (ICRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children UK (SCUK), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and World Vision International (WVI). They were endorsed by the International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) and many other organizations working on behalf of separated children. 

In January 2010 IFCO has updated only the headline and first sentence in order to respond to the many requests received for information about how people might internationally foster & adopt children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. 

"Natural disasters like the devastating earthquake in Haiti often lead to the separation of large numbers of children from their parents and families. The following guiding principles should apply to their care and protection. 

Even during these emergencies, all children have a right to a family and families have a right to care for their children.  Unaccompanied and separated children should be provided with services aimed at reuniting them with their parents or customary care-givers as quickly as possible.   Interim care should be consistent with the aim of family reunification, and should ensure children’s protection and well-being. 

Experience has shown that most separated children have parents or other family members willing and able to care for them.  Long-term care arrangements, including adoption, should therefore not be made during the emergency phase.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE > UNICEF are there & deploying essential aid – including safe water, sanitation supplies, therapeutic foods, medical supplies and temporary shelter materials as quickly as possible to assist with recovery efforts. They will also be focusing on children who have become separated from their families to protect them from harm or exploitation.

You may DONATE from any country > http://tinyurl.com/5ta7et ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Because We Care: Programming Guidance for Children Deprived of Parental Care

A recent report from "World Vision" which presents general guidance for
alternative care approaches, in addition to describing the benefits,
concerns and programming suggestions for 5 models of care: kinship care, foster
care, child-headed households, group homes, and children's villages.

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Wishing all IFCO members and other visitors to this web site health, happiness, success and prosperity throughout the New Year, and may your Christmas or other Religious or Seasonal Festival be one filled with peace and blessings for you and for the ones you love!

Some holiday reading > the latest Edition of the "IFCO Youth E-newsletter" is now available at: CLICK > http://ifcoyouthenews.webs.com

The December edition of the monthly members-only IFCO Enewsletter was sent by email on 21 December - contributions for the next issue by 15 January please 

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21 December - MENTAL DISABILITY RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE. >> PLEASE CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE FOR THE FULL ITEM. Twenty years after the fall of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu,
children detained in Romania's orphanages are still languishing in
adult facilities. A BBC investigation broadcast today followed-up MDRI's human rights report Hidden Suffering.
BBC quotes MDRI Executive Director Eric Rosenthal: "I cannot say I am
surprised, but I am horrified. My organization Mental Disability Rights
International documented these abuses in great detail. We talked to
government officials, and we brought it to the European Union. They
promised they would end these abuses and they have failed on that
promise. These conditions are exactly what we found five, ten years
ago. They did what they needed to do to get into the EU, but the abuses
are still going on."

In its effort to join the European Union, Romania has spent millions fixing up institutions and moving children from large, crumbling facilities to newer and smallerinstitutions. European donors contributed significantly to these
well-intentioned efforts. These reforms, however, were misguided and
donor resources were squandered. According to Rosenthal, "No child
should ever be placed in an institution.  Institutions are inherently
dehumanizing. Nice, new facilities are not a substitute for the love
and attention of a family that every child needs. The psychological
damage produced by placing a child in an institution may lead to
a life-long disability of the kind documented by both MDRI and the BBC."

"I would like to offer my congratulations to The Anne Funds Project and all those involved in the organisation of this important Japanese national conference on 12th and 13th of December 2009.  I like the title of the of the conference: “Consider what children want with out-of-home care” because for the last 28 years that is what we have tried to do with the young people involved with IFCO.  I am sure your international speakers from IFCO, Stephen Ucembe & Emmanuel Sherwin, will inspire you both to support each other through networks and support groups and also to come together nationally to demand change for the future.   IFCO Board member Mamoru Watanabe (Nabe) has told me that “at the conference, young people who have experienced out-of-home care will be given opportunities to speak out and share their opinions.

Send Christmas / New Year E-cards & help IFCO raise funds + you also save yourself money & help the environment! CLICK HERE TO SEND GREETINGS

Instead of buying and mailing Christmas and New Year cards this year why not pledge a charitable donation to IFCO and send your choice of customised Christmas and New Year e-cards from your computer via the British charity web site everyclick.com?

You may choose from many attractive designs and personalise the inside of your card with an optional digital photo or image and even add a YouTube video clip. It is quick and easy to do all this online and it is also easy to enter email addresses from your address book and to choose the date when your e-cards are sent.  

You can donate with any plastic bank card in any currency - just calculate the amount of your donation in British pounds and it will be charged to your account in your local currency.      >>>>> Thank you in advance <<<<<

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IFCO Board members to attend invitation-only world expert conference > 

http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/themes/environment/pastconference.aspx?confref=WP1010

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE TO SEE THE LIST OF SPEAKERS & AGENDA OF THIS CONFERENCE OF EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. >>> IFCO Board members Nicole Herbert (Canada) & Stephen Ucembe (Kenya) have been invited to speak & IFCO President, Chris Gardiner will also be one of the 60 invited delegates. >WILTON PARK WEB SITE > "Co-sponsored by Save the Children in partnership with UNICEF and the Better Care Network. More children than ever before are in need of protection from neglect and abuse. The HIV/AIDS pandemic, conflict, natural disasters is generating increasing numbers of orphans and separated children. Whilst poverty, sickness and poor parenting is causing neglect and abuse in the home, abandoment and many children choosing to live on the street where they face further violations. This is not only a violation of child rights, it is also creating 'lost generations' of vulnerable children, unable to participate in development processes. This meeting will consider how best Governments, donors, and other actors can help to protect and care for children without adequate family care. We will look at new evidence on the harmful impact of the institutional care; explore best and promising practices on strengthening families and developing positive alternative forms of care; consider what political and policy changes are needed to protect and care for vulnerable children; and consider what the practical implications are of implementing the new UN Guidelines on the Care of Children without adequate Parental Care."