Chris GardinerPresident
Czech Republic1972 – 1989: London foster parent 1974 Convenor / founder member / past Chair NFCA UK1981 onwards: IFCO Founder member. Former IFCO Board Member (Treasurer, Company Secretary, Youth Committee Mentor, Conference Organiser & President). Currently active IFCO volunteer running web site, Enewsletter & Discussion List. 1997 – 2000: UNICEF Programme Manager + established the work of British children’s charity in Ukraine 2000 onwards (not all current) Early retirement / part-time trainer on Foster Care & Child Development (several countries) Steering group member of the European Quality4Children Project (IFCO / FICE / SOS) Member of the Advisory Group of the Better Care Network Member of NGO Group drafting UN Guidelines for Children in Alternative Care Adviser to RELAF (Latin American Foster Care Network) Co-founder Czech web resource www.vzd.cz First Chair of Eurochild's Working Group on Children Without Parental Care 2009 Hoping to serve IFCO’s future development as an active Board member.
Stela GrigorashVice President
Republic of MoldovaI am with IFCO since 2003. Since November 2008, I am the President of IFCO. I believe that my education and professional experience could contribute to IFCO’s further development as an organisation and fulfilment of IFCO’s mission. For the last ten years, I have been the Director of the Moldovan Branch of EveryChild UK, working with central government, local authorities and civil society of Moldova to develop and implement social policies and alternative services to protect the rights of children deprived of parental care. EveryChild Moldova has developed the national legal and institutional framework for foster care and provided capacity building programmes to different stakeholders to put foster care services in place. EveryChild Moldova has also supported the establishment of the National Foster care Association. I hold a university and master degree in medicine and PhD in sociology. I speak Romanian, Russian and English. I am married with two daughters.
Nicole HerbertAdministration Secretary
Canada Nicole is an Alumni of foster care who has spent the past 15 years working with young people in and from the child welfare system. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the National Youth in Care Network and spent 13 years working for the Federation of British Columbia Youth in Care Networks, most recently as the Director of Programs. Nicole has been involved with IFCO since coordinating the youth component of IFCO Vancouver in 1997, co-presenting a keynote at IFCO Melbourne in 1999, and facilitating a youth participation workshop at IFCO Cork in 2000. With a passion for meaningful engagement, education and advocacy, she enjoys writing, developing resources, facilitating training and event planning. No stranger to organizational and political change, her extensive experience in community and Network development has honed her leadership skills in the area of inclusive, effective and accountable decision-making processes.
Kevin WilliamsTreasurer
United KingdomI am a Qualified Teacher and Social Worker and am Chief Executive Officer of TACT, the largest fostering and Adoption Charity in the UK. I have overseen its growth from 2002 from an annual turnover of £4.4M to £18M. I was a Trustee of BAAF for 5 years and have a clear understanding of Governance and the role of a Trustee of a UK Charity. I am committed to the values and aims of IFCO. If elected I will provide leadership and focus around business planning and long term sustainability of IFCO.
Vanya Shalapatova
BulgariaI am part of IFCO since 2002 and a former Vice President. In the last several years, alongside the representation I have ensured for IFCO to other bodies like UNICEF, NGO Group for the CRC etc., I have supported the development of professional support services for foster parents of children 0-3 years old which is a pilot practice in our country. I have learned a lot from being part of the IFCO family and have used this knowledge for the benefit of many children at risk in Bulgaria. I am managing a dynamic NGO which was localised from a UK Charity recently. I have been managing the organisation successfully for the last 9 years and have gained vast experience in ensuring strategic and quality operation of the organisation. I am sure this knowledge will be beneficial for IFCO at its current stage of organisational development if given this opportunity.
Mamoru Watanabe
JapanI am a foster care giver and son of foster care givers. Also, I am on the staff of an organisation which named The Anne Funds Project. The organisation is Not for Profit, works with children in out-of-home care, young people and foster care givers in Japan. In contrast to other regions such as Western Europe, North America, and Oceania, out-of-home care, especially family-based, has not developed yet in many Asian countries including an economic giant Japan. My main aim of nominating to the Board is to contribute to IFCO networking in order to enhance the quality of out-of-home care standard in Asian region.
Stephen Ucembe
KenyaMy name is Stephen Ucembe. I grew up as an orphan in an orphanage. I am a social worker by profession. I have 6 years experience; 4 years in an institution and 2 years in a community based program supporting people infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children and child headed families. My past has been my inspiration and working with families, children and communities has been my profession and passion. I am also working through advocacy, awareness and regular practice to ensure that children grow up in a family and not children homes. Youth who have gone through care have experienced and are continuing to experience myriad challenges ranging from psychological, social and economical in their daily encounters; It’s my vision and mission to continue promoting support , care and protection to this category of youths. IFCO mission and vision lies in line with my aspirations. I am willing and hoping that with concerted efforts, knowledge and experience we will give these children and youths a better life today and tomorrow.
Frank Keating
Ireland Personal. My wife and I live in rural Ireland and have been fostering for almost 20years. We have nine children four of whom are in long term foster care and are aged 17, 13, 10 and 7 years respectively. In addition we have seven grand children, two of whom are fostered and are also siblings to two of our foster children. (You go figure it out.)Professional Experience and Qualifications. I hold a B.Soc.Sc. Degree, a Masters Degree in Social Work and a Dip. in Forensic Psychology. Having worked as a Social Work Manager I am currently the Course Leader on The B.A. in Applied Social Studies in Social Care in Waterford Institute of Technology. As part of my brief I am currently working on developing a B.A. in Foster Care. I have worked with a number of voluntary organisations nationally and internationally and am a Director of the I.F.C.A.
Jean Kennedy
IrelandJean has been actively advocating for listening to youth- their involvement and consultation on issues that affect their lives- for over a decade. Her involvement in IFCO started out as a youth delegate in 1999 and she has presented at IFCO Conferences and other forums many times since. As a young person whose parents are foster carers, she advocates for emphasising the positives aspects of alternative care while trying to overcome the negatives. Now working in the ‘Centre for Social and Family Research’ in the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland, her personal interest in the success of foster care and positive outcomes for all stakeholders has shaped her career path. She holds an Honours Degree in Sociology and English and is currently undertaking a Masters in Research. Jean is also an active member of the Irish Foster Care Association (currently sits on its Board of Directors), Power4Youth and more.
Myrna McNitt
USAI am a life member of IFCO and an active member of the Training and Development committee. I worked for over 25 years in child protection/ juvenile justice in Michigan. I was a social worker in Kenya and the UK in foster care and child protection and now a professor of social work for Dominican University in Chicago, teaching social work. I have worked for IFCO during the past year by providing training in Kosovo where I wrote curriculum to train trainers in developing foster care. In 2009 I promoted IFCO in St. Maartens and for a Russian delegation in Chicago. I participated in writing proposals for funding in South Africa, European Commission, and UNICEF in 2009. My goal for IFCO is to support IFCO achieve its mission of promoting family based solutions for children by supporting board development and positive consultancy and project work for developing nations.
Margaret Howley
CanadaI am the Executive Director of FPSS Society, have twelve years experience in the fostering community, and reside in Victoria, BC, Canada. In 2002, I authored the successful proposal bid to ministry to provide education, support and networking services to Vancouver Island Family Care Homes, thereby creating the Foster Parent Support Services Society. I was instrumental in the implementation, development, success and growth of FPSSS – an Accredited, grassroots organization dedicated to providing foster parents with training, education and support services to enable them to provide the best care possible to children/youth. I am involved in numerous committees, working in partnership with ministry and other organizations to ensure foster parents are educated and supported in their roles as caregivers, and am the Chair of the IFCO 2011 Conference Planning Committee. My education and experience include: Leadership Management, Executive Director, Regional Program Manager, Ministry of Finance, recruiting, marketing, and desktop publishing.
Chris Rayment
United KingdomBefore joining Oxford Policy Management (OPM) as a consultant in January 2009, I worked with EveryChild for almost 10 years. My time at EveryChild was focused on supporting colleagues in over 10 countries of Eastern Europe and the FSU on the development of policies, strategies and practical services for children separated from, or at risk of separation from, their families. The importance of foster care in its many forms continues to feature prominently in my work and my involvement with IFCO over the years has been very motivating. As a senior manager with a regional remit and now a consultant with a global remit, I have represented and advocated for the best interests of children at many levels and worked with a wide range of government and NGO actors. My experience as a father is something that continues to inspire my passion for children and their need for and right to family care.
Elayn Sammon
Zimbabwe I have over 19 years UK and international experience in social welfare development and direct provision of social care programmes of support to vulnerable children and families. I have worked both in the public and the NGO sector managing public and private funds for service provision and have substantial experience of working at senior government level in a number of transition economies providing social policy advice particularly in the areas of children’s services. My educational background includes Masters level qualifications in Disability Studies and Equality & Social Inclusion. I have been involved in directly developing and implementing innovative services for vulnerable groups both in the UK and in CEE/CIS and south Asia. I have wide ranging experience of managing child protection and social development projects and budgets and of leading teams of expatriate and local technical specialists.
Volodya Kuzminskyy
UkraineVolodymyr Kuzminskyy is Country Director of EveryChild Ukraine. He holds a PhD in Planning, Management and Regulation of Economy as well as a Master’s Degree in the Management of Organizations. He has been a pivotal player at the forefront of reforms in children’s policy, social services and the introduction of foster care in Ukraine over the past 8 years. His key experience is in advising Government and NGOs in policy and services development in the child welfare sphere. Drawing on his experience as a senior manager within a high profile NGO, he is skilled and experienced as a strategies development and capacity building specialist with wide experience of project management, including managing contracts from the EU and DFID and developing M&E system. Volodymyr is the author of more than 20 publications addressing contemporary issues in social and economic fields. He is married with a daughter.