The child protection system in Georgia is new and evolving and is supported by the Government Children’s Action Plan and the Child Care Standards. The latest data from the Government of Georgia indicates continued decreases in the number of children in residential institutions down from approximately 5,000 in 2005 to 1427 (including 102 children with disabilities) in 2009. This number does not include the 900 children with disability in ‘Boarding Schools for Special Education. The number of institutions has decreased from 46 to 22 during the same time period. The decrease has largely been achieved through an expansion of alternatives, including foster care (622 placements in 2009 compared with 490 in 2008), community based family support / day care centers, particularly for children with disability, and small group homes (11 in 2010).  Combined with tighter entry procedures (the gatekeeping mechanism at district level – guardianship and care councils – make decisions on placements of children) these efforts have produced results. Read more + job advert > UNICEF Georgia now seeks a  social work and disability consultant to provide strategic input into the three year initiative ‘Strengthening Child Care Services and Systems in Georgia’ - apply by 20 September.  http://www.crin.org/docs/UNICEF Georgia TOR.doc 

The Latin American RELAF Seminar 2010: “Celebration of experiences. Strengthening advances to guarantee the right to a family”, will be held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil on September 2nd, 3rd and 4th. It is organized together with Red Proteger as RELAF's local partner and the relevant support of the government of Brazil and Itaipú. 

RELAF shares the news that everything is being prepared to receive more than 500 people from all over Latin America. Up to now there have been registrations of people from more than 18 American and European countries.

We are pleased to announce the participation of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Republic of Brazil in the opening of the event.

For more details in Spanish & English + RELAF's latest Enews click here 

Click below for the latest RELAF Bulletin #21 in English > <http://www.relaf.org/BoletinAgosto10Contenidos_engl.html#uno>

>>> REMINDER >>> you can get a basic translation of the IFCO web site in many languages by using the "Google Translate" tool in the right side bar >>> 

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BEWARE!!! You may receive an email invitation to a conference in 2 countries offering some free elements - this may well be a FRAUDULENT SCAM!!!

IFCO conferences such as www.ifco2011.com & some other conferences organised by IFCO members will be advertised on this web site.  

IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS PLEASE CHECK BY GOOGLING THE SENTENCE CONTAINING THE NAMES OF THE PLACES AND/OR ASKING QUESTIONS TO THE ORGANISERS OR IFCO >>> DO NOT SEND MONEY!

Examples of fraudulent announcements> http://www.uia.be/node/46358

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The theme of the IFCO 2011 Conference is "Fostering Hope – Together We Can Make a Difference"   http://www.ifco2011.com/

Daily themes will apply to both the general conference program and the youth program, and will ‘foster hope’ through:

SUB THEMES:

Monday
Resilient Foster Families

Tuesday
Successful Transitions

Wednesday
Explore, Discover, Relax – FREE DAY for delegates (no workshops)

Thursday
Respecting Diversity & Honouring Culture

Friday
Connections

The IFCO 2011 Conference Committee welcomes workshop presenters and plenary presenters from all sectors of the child welfare community and foster care field to submit papers relevant to the development of foster care and quality care solutions for children and youth living in out of home care.     

APPLY ONLINE BY 31 JANUARY 2011 http://www.ifco2011.com/call-for-papers/

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From Thanh Nien News: Experts have called on international authorities to reform Inter-country adoption practices to ensure their legality.

The recommendations were made following an assessment of Vietnam’s adoption system released on August 11. The assessment was carried out by Hervé Boéchat, Nigel Cantwell and Mia Dambach of International Social Service (ISS). >>> Click to read full REPORT

The study was commissioned by UNICEF Vietnam and by the Department of Adoption of the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam. The study was commissioned to identify and address problems in both the domestic and Inter-country adoption processes, with a view to assisting Vietnam in its preparations to accede to the 1993 Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption.

The findings urged Vietnamese authorities to establish a proper system of data collection for children in need of adoption and undertake an assessment of the root causes of child abandonment, relinquishment and separation. The causes should then be addressed through social services such as support for single mothers, family counseling, and social assistance.

Laws regarding parental consent for adoption should be clarified, the researchers found. Fees charged by official entities in Vietnam throughout the adoption process should be clearly itemized, regulated, and placed in the public domain, the researchers advised

The report further urged increased involvement on behalf of adopting countries.

The researchers found that the governments and the central authorities of “receiving countries” have not effectively committed themselves to applying the basic principles of the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption (ICA).

The number of online profiles of children waiting for adoption and long term fostering has increased sharply, indicating that social workers are increasingly embracing digital technology.  (Full story click HERE)

According to new figures from the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) their Be My Parent service saw a 37% increase in the number of children profiled online in the last 12 months reaching an all time high of 250 children. There was also a 100% increase in the numbers of videos of children featured on the website.                 

Be My Parent profiles children waiting for adoption or long term fostering when attempts to place them with a family locally have not been successful. Children are referred to the service by adoption and fostering social workers at a local authority. The children can be featured in either the Be My Parent magazine, on the Be My Parent website or more usually, on both. Both the magazine and the website have hundreds of approved adopters as subscribers.

Although there has been a slight decline in the number of children featured in the magazine, the website has seen significant growth. David Holmes, BAAF’s Chief Executive, explains:

“There could be a number of reasons for the rise. However we think a shift in attitude amongst social workers around new media is playing a big part. Where once it was viewed with suspicion and distrust, now they are realising that it is a powerful resource in family finding.

August 12 China Daily: Rao Meixiang, a countrywoman in Yincheng town of Dexing, East China’s Jiangxi province, has adopted more than 80 abandoned babies with serious disabilities from local civil affairs department in the past 15 years. They live on limited government allowance, farming and collecting scrap.

                              Access the full article & pictures here

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IFCO has been in contact with its members in Pakistan >> The worst floods in Pakistan's history have hit at least 14 million people, officials say.   Twelve million are affected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, while a further two million are affected in Sindh. Flooding has submerged whole villages in the past week, killing at least 1,600 people, according to the UN.  (Regularly updated news story & video - click HERE)

And the worst floods to hit the region in 80 years could get worse, as it is only midway through monsoon season.  According to the federal flood commission, 1.4m acres (557,000 hectares) of crop land has been flooded across the country and more than 10,000 cows have perished.

A UN official, Manuel Bessler, said that with crops swept away by floodwaters, some Pakistanis could be forced to rely on food aid to get through the winter. He said the immediate priorities for survivors were clean drinking water and medical assistance.

You may donate with a credit or debit card from anywhere in the world HERE via the UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) which is made up of 13 member agencies who provide humanitarian aid in times of disaster.

The 13 member agencies are: (CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE FOR MORE)

Every year, around 1,000 South Korean children are given up for adoption in Western countries. The overseas adoption programme began in the 1950s as the impoverished government's answer to the masses of mixed-race orphans from the Korean War.

All told, around 200,000 Korean children have been adopted overseas over the past 60 years. About 300 of them have since returned to live in Korea – and many are now involved in trying to change the adoption laws.

In this programme, BBC journalist Ellen Otzen meets Jane Trenka and Suki Leith, both of whom were adopted by American families, to explore the impact foreign adoption has had on them. 

CLICK to listen to the documentary (23 minutes) > KOREA'S LOST CHILDREN

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6 August PRESS RELEASE > We are proud to announce our organization's new name, Disability Rights International. Our mission has not changed. Formerly Mental Disability Rights International, we remain committed to protecting the human rights and promoting the integration into society of people with disabilities. Our new name reflects the reality that people with any kind of disability-whether mental or physical-are often shut away from society, locked in institutions, and denied basic human dignity and rights.

Over the past 16 years, Disability Rights International has protected the rights of the world's most vulnerable population. We have pressured governments into protecting human rights, freed children from cages, and we have closed abusive psychiatric hospitals. In recognition of the worldwide need of disability advocacy for children, Disability Rights International is launching the Worldwide Campaign to End the Institutionalization of Children. It is our goal to ensure that the next generation of children are never locked behind the doors of an institution they will likely never leave, and to sustain the advocacy to get the children who are already in abusive institutions, out.