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THE LAST DATE TO REGISTER & PAY FOR THE IFCO2010BRIGHTON CONFERENCE IS 17 JUNE. Any new bookings or any changes to numbers after this date will incur a late change surcharge of £65 per change -sorry! PROGRAMME > http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=program
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Just imagine you are a high-powered business type, say the chairman and chief executive of one of Britain's most recognised companies.
You have had a hard day at the office, negotiating deals worth millions. When you get home, what scene do you expect to greet you? A large glass of whisky? A welcoming bath? A lovingly cooked meal with the family? At the very least, you would anticipate peace and quiet, with time to gather your thoughts.
Not if you are John Timpson, the driving force behind the eponymous High Street shoe repair business. He has spent the past 30 years never being quite sure what is going to be waiting for him when he turns into the drive - but knowing that a triple buggy and a houseful of tiny screaming strangers is always a distinct possibility.
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Greetings to the IFCO members and children in many countries who celebrate International Children's Day on 1 June!
Which countries? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day
In many countries children are still growing up in large, residential institutions. The overstretched staff who look after them cannot provide the one-to-one attention that the children so desperately need. Therefore in some places the 1 June is also chosen as a day to have a mass birthday celebration with many children being unaware of their actual birth date.
Preamble to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: "Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding"
The UN Convention in 58 languages including some child-friendly versions: http://www.unicef.org/magic/briefing/uncorc.html
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The boy from a troubled background could certainly sing but he couldn’t listen or feel empathy for others — until he was fostered >> http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article7133167.ece
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"The Future of Children" - a collaboration of The Woodrow Wilson School
of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and The
Brookings Institution.
While specific to the US context, this edition of the "Future of
Children" sets forth recommendations for foster care and child welfare
system reform that can be modified and applied globally. Strong
and nurturing families are at the core of children’s healthy
development, but few families receive what they need to play this
critical role. In assessing the practice of foster care and its
current limitations, this series of articles advocates for the
implementation of health assessments for all children in care,
support to preserve permanency and assist birth families,
comprehensive supports for foster families, specialized services for
children in need, increased cultural competency in social work
practice, coordinated services across sectors for families in need
and comprehensive well being assessments for children in care.
>>>> Read this report and several others by clicking the link below <<<< http://www.futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=40
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Fostering across the UK is under increasing pressure due to the
unprecedented rise in numbers of children needing foster care and the
ongoing shortage of foster carers, the Fostering Network is warning
today with the launch of Foster Care Fortnight.
The campaign, which runs from 17 to 30 May, highlights the shortage
of 10,000 foster families across the UK. Under the strapline Do you
have the skills to foster? it aims to encourage people with the right
skills and qualities to consider a career in fostering. People are
particularly needed to offer homes to teenagers, children under four
and sibling groups, as well as to provide long-term homes for children
of all ages.
The leading charity carried out market research with fostering
services and foster carers, which found that more children are
continuing to seek foster homes, and that local authorities are finding
it increasingly difficult to meet this need. This growing pressure
means children are living with foster carers a long way from their
home. They are also being placed with foster carers already looking
after several unrelated children or who may not have the skills and
qualities to best meet the children’s needs.
Robert Tapsfield, chief executive of the Fostering Network, said:
“Fostering services had been making progress in recruiting more foster
carers and finding children the right foster family, but this has
clearly been pushed back by the unprecedented rise in children coming
into foster care. Fostering services are working really hard to find
the right foster family for every child, but with such a shortage of
foster carers they are faced with a huge challenge. >>> CONTINUES > LONGER NEWS ITEM + LINKS > CLICK THE HEADLINE ABOVE FOR MORE.
On May 15 IFCO members will join with the UN* to highlight the International Day of Families - a day that draws attention to the importance of keeping families together and getting children back into safe and caring families.
IFCO CONGRATULATES & THANKS ALL FOSTER FAMILIES WORLDWIDE !
This year the International Day of Families focuses on the theme of migration and the impact this has on families. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's statement said that children of migrants are especially vulnerable and face unique
challenges: “in particular a greater vulnerability to humantrafficking, child labour and violence"
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/family/idf/2010/backgroundnote.pdf
* IFCO has been granted United Nations ECOSOC Consultative Status
>>> BOOKED YOUR PLACE FOR BRIGHTON YET? LINKS BELOW <<<
Have you registered for IFCO's European Conference in Brighton yet? The draft list of speakers / topics who have confirmed so far is now on the conference web site: http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=program - more to follow.
You may also register online from the web site: http://brighton2010.ifco.info/index.php?page=form
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From his "Meet Me Halfway" web site > Jimmy Wayne survived a turbulent, abusive childhood. He was shuttled to a series of foster homes. He was a homeless teen, living by his wits on the street until a North Carolina couple named Russell and Beatrice Costner took him in and gave him a family. Before Russell and Bea, Jimmy was homeless and close to hopeless. He remembers the feeling of being without a family, without a home. He began Project Meet Me Halfway to raise awareness of the fact that too many youth especially those that are aging out of the foster care system are facing circumstances similar to those he faced. http://meetmehalfway.jimmywayne.com/
More on the "Ladies' Home Journal" web site http://www.lhj.com/blogs/ladieslounge/2010/04/16/do-good-country-spotlight-jimmy-wayne/
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The thoughtful article below is from The UK's Independent newspaper on 13 April. Only part of the article is shown - please click the headline above for the rest of it. Since the article was published Russia has temporarily suspended adoptions to the USA. More info > What Is the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption? US ratifies Hague Convention UNICEF Adoption
"THE BIG QUESTION: HOW DOES INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION WORK, AND IS TIGHTER REGULATION NEEDED?"
Why are we asking this now?
An American mother's decision to send her seven-year-old adopted son back to Russia, alone and with a note that she no longer wanted him, has horrified officials and adoption experts in both countries and made headline news worldwide. The treatment of the Russian boy, Artyom Savelyev, has been described as a "monstrous deed" by the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev.
What exactly happened?
Artyom Savelyev was adopted from an orphanage last year by Torry-Ann Hansen of Tennessee. On Thursday, the single mother put him unaccompanied on a 10-hour flight to Moscow with a note stating: "I no longer wish to parent this child." The note is said to explain:"He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues/behaviour. I was lied to and misled by the Russian orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability. They chose to grossly misrepresent those problems in order to get him out of their orphanage." ....article continues....
