THE IFCO2010BRIGHTON CONFERENCE PROGRAMME WILL BE PUBLISHED ONLINE AT THE END OF APRIL - 11 plenary sessions and more than 50 workshops! Thank you to everybody who sent in submissions - sorry we could not use them all.

It will be a varied programme with speakers and workshop leaders from all sections of the foster care field from Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, India, Ireland, The Netherlands, Wales, Scotland, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand & USA.

Have you registered online to secure your place yet? http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=form

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WWSF is happy to celebrate with you this year the 10th Anniversary of the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse – 19 November. Last year, 785 organizations from 127 countries joined the international coalition marking not only the World Day but also the Prevention Education Week 13-19 November, or supporting the Day in general.

Launched in 2000, the World Campaign & World Day have as their main mission to create a global culture of prevention. We sincerely hope that you will join the 2010 coalition and to help make prevention a worldwide priority.  We also invite you to encourage your members and partners to do the same.

Please find online the 2010 Campaign Registration Form to be returned by 15 May http://www.woman.ch/index.php?page=online-registration&hl=en_US and tick all the corresponding boxes in order to be considered as a coalition member, and describe your planned activities to qualify as an active member. We also give you the link to the introductory page of the campaign http://www.woman.ch/index.php?page=2010-world-campaign-coalition&hl=en_US
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UPDATE > May 15 IFCO Enews 2010 #4 sent to members by email.

March 29 - The 2010 #3 edition of the monthly members-only IFCO Enewsletter was sent by email today. If you are a paid-up member & have not received it please check your Spam box - if it is not found there please let us know by email to ifco@ifco.info. 

This edition contains news and information from China & North Korea, Haiti, UN Human Rights Council, Ireland, USA, Latin America, Denmark, Australia & UK (IFCO Conference in Brighton) + Child Rights Terms in Russian, Arabic, English, French & Spanish. 

Contributions for the next issue by 1 June please.

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ONLINE REGISTRATION - DON'T DELAY!!! The discounted price for IFCO members is only available if you register & pay before March 31 and places are going fast!   http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=form 

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.

THE INTERESTING & VARIED PROGRAMME WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE WEB SITE IN LATE APRIL - thanks to all who sent submissions! 

Will you need a visa?  See http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=info 

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IFCO member organisation Børn & Familier – forum for udvikling i socialt arbejde (Children &Families – Forum for Development in Social Work) is an
umbrella-association, comprised of 4 independent, non-profit
organisations or agencies in Denmark. The majority of the organisations go way
back in history, since they started out as voluntary organisations
around 1890 with the sole aim of supervising the placement of
orphans and abandoned children in foster homes.

They have organised 2 conferences on 26 March & 26 April - see their web site. 

About Børn & Familier in English http://www.boernogfamilier.dk/?page_id=549

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The 33 children who were to be taken to the Dominican Republic by ten
US citizens will be reunited with their biological families on 17 March.

The children arrived on 30 January, when SOS Children's Villages was
assigned the task of taking care of them temporarily by the Haitian
child welfare authority IBERS following the arrest of a group of ten US nationals who had tried to take them out of the country under dubious circumstances
and without proper documentation. 

Following a lengthy processof family verification handled by IBERS, the children, aged four months to twelve years, can now return home. It has turned out that all of the 33 children have parents.

More > http://tinyurl.com/yhp4tkb + http://www.ifco.info/?q=node/300

February 28 - The 2010 #1 edition of the monthly members-only IFCO Enewsletter was sent by email today. If you are a paid-up member & have not received it please check your Spam box - if it is not found there please let us know by email to ifco@ifco.info.  Contributions for the next issue by 23 March please.

March 17 - a special Enews was sent today giving details of The Pat Whelan Youth Fund & the possibility of sponsorship for younger IFCO members to the Brighton Conference in July (link on the right).  For more details please write to youth@ifco.info - the closing date for applications is 14 April.  

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British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologised for the
UK's role in sending more than 130,000 children to former colonies
where many suffered abuse.

He expressed regret for the "misguided" Child Migrant Programme, telling Parliament he was "truly sorry".

He also announced a £6m fund to reunite families that were torn apart.

The scheme sent poor children for a "better life" to countries like Canada
and Australia from the 1920s to 1960s, but many were abused & lied to.

Mr Brown said: "To all those former child migrants and their families... we are truly sorry. They were let down.

"We are sorry they were allowed to be sent away at the time when they were
most vulnerable. We are sorry that instead of caring for them, this
country turned its back.  (+ more > click link below)

FULL STORY + STATISTICS & REACTIONS + VIEW GORDON BROWN's SPEECH + LINK TO AUSTRALIA's APOLOGY IN 2009 > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8531664.stm

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ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN - discounted price for IFCO members registering & paying before 31 March > http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=form 

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.

THE DEADLINE FOR SENDING ONLINE SUBMISSIONS WAS 15 FEBRUARY 2010 < NOW CLOSED - thanks to all who submitted proposals - its going to be another high quality, varied and exciting programme!  Details in April. 

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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).