Our Governance
IFCO is a limited company and a charity based in the UK and we are therefore subject to UK company and charity legislation. Although based in the UK our current Board of Directors hail from many parts of the world, including England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, U.S., India and Malta.
IFCO is a member-based organisation and the members elect our Board of Directors to guide the work of the organisation. The Directors of IFCO are all unpaid volunteers who believe passionately in IFCO’s cause to improve the lives of children in fostering and kinship care. Some of our Directors have had direct experience of foster care. All of our Directors have a broad range of expertise and knowledge of which they give freely to the work of IFCO in their governance role.
IFCO's Board of Directors
Following the International Foster Care Organisation's Annual General Meeting held on 2nd November 2017 in Valletta, Malta the 2017-19 IFCO Board members and officers are listed below.
Our Staff
Jean Anne Kennedy
Operations and Projects Manager|
Jean Anne Kennedy’s parents were foster carers, and her experience of foster care has shaped her life and career. She has had a long association with IFCO and first attended an IFCO conference in 1999 as a teenager.Jean Anne’s involvement with IFCO has included presenting workshops and plenaries at IFCO conferences and other forums. She was an IFCO Director from 2009-2017 and served as Vice-President from 2011-2015. She was Conference Liaison for IFCO2012 and IFCO2013 and co-organiser of the IFCO2014, IFCO2016 and IFCO2017 Conferences.
Jean Anne is also an independent consultant and advocate at European and international level, working in social services, foster care, strategic planning and partnerships, child rights, and youth participation.
Jean Anne holds an Honours Degree in Sociology and English, and an MA (Sociology). Jean Anne is pursuing a PhD at the Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland.