Follow #IFCO2014 www.conference.ifco.info

Save the Date26-29 August 2014

“Ensuring the Rights of the Child, and Family-based Services”

IFCO 2014 European Conference

26-29 August 2014 l Waterford l Ireland

Hosted by Waterford Institute of Technology, in co-operation with the Irish Foster Care Association

Call for PapersYou are invited to submit your paper

The theme of IFCO 2014 European Conference invites workshop ideas, plenary topics and attendees who envision foster care, and indeed, all alternative care as the holistic system that IFCO promotes.

Overarching theme and rationale In this context, the conference programme will offer examples and insight into existing best practice and experiences throughout Europe.

This includes:

> how linking child rights and family centered services creates new opportunities for the future of a child, community and society which values ‘family’ as the primary need of children, and

> how each stakeholder contributes to, and interacts, to ensure this delivery of child- and family-centered service.

Content and discussion will therefore include:

• preventative measures which support families to stay together;• quality of foster care;• family and individual supports and intervention;• reintegration of families;• after care for care leavers;• research, outcomes and impact of foster care at individual, family, societal,

policy, European and international levels.

“Ensuring the Rights of the Child, and Family-based Services”

IFCO 2014 European Conference

26-29 August 2014 l Waterford l Ireland

Themes and topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

I. Strategy and Policy in Childcare

• Strategic planning and coordination for ensuring the rights of the child • De-institutionalisation and transition from institutional to community-based care • Investing in development of family-centered services • Allocating funding for reforms of institutional care in CEE/CIS countries • Monitoring and evaluation approaches and systems

II. Developing quality social services for families and children in communities

• Role and responsibilities of local governments in developing services for families and children • Standards and specifications for service development • Case management and needs assessment methodologies • Prevention services for families, especially with children with disabilities • Early years development services • Parental capacities development • Quality of care and outcomes for children based on community model of intervention

III. Quality alternative care provisions

• Implementation of UN Guidelines on Alternative Care: best practices and lessons learned • Development of specialised fostering services (short-term and emergency fostering, alternative

custody fostering etc.) • Gatekeeping mechanism in decision making • Insight, experience and participation of children in care and family members in decision-making

process and service provision • Quality care provision models, and the consideration of personal, cultural and national identity

of the child or family.

IV. Leaving care: supporting young people and professionals

• Development of leaving care services for young people leaving residential institutions• Leaving care and advocacy: Empowering young people to present their rights and interests,

development of care leaver networks• Sharing learning and best practices between professionals working with young children and

youth leaving care• Education, skills and development of young people – when does ‘leaving care’ start?• Family strengthening: Leaving care for children and young people, and how to assess or prevent

re-admission into the care system

V. Innovations and training development

• Workforce development strategies and practice• Implementing new and innovative methods of social work with families and children• Supervision in social work• Training and education for social sphere practitioners• Managing the services and workforce for better outcomes for children• Recruitment, assessment, needs, value and retention of foster families

In the IFCO tradition we run an adult and youth programmes in parallel with opportunities for cross-over interactions.

Conference organisers would like to invite all stakeholders including foster parents, foster families, children in foster care, care leavers, birth families, social workers, professionals, academics, policy makers and all who are invested in family-based care, to submit papers for 30- and 45-minutes plenary presentations and 90-minute workshop sessions for both the adult and the youth programmes.

You will be rewarded with an enthusiastic audience and a unique opportunity for quality debate, useful contacts and constructive reflection on your presentation.

We especially encourage young people and youth groups to submit their application for a presentation to the conference.

Abstracts of papers can be submitted electronically using submission form at www.bit.ly/IFCO2014form.

Submission Important dates

• Papers must be written in English, the official language of the conference.

• The selection criteria for the papers received include adequacy of the information allowing a sound review, relevance to the themes/topics and depth of information content.

• If selected, authors must register and attend the conference to present the paper. You will receive early bird rates if you register and pay before 30 June 2014.

• Authors must meet their own expenses to attend the conference, including registration fees, travel and accommodation.

Other procedures

• Registration opens - 17 March 2014

• Deadline for submission of papers - 23 May 2014

• Authors notified of acceptance - 12 June 2014

• Provisional Programme - 26 June 2014

• Closing date for registration - 10 August 2014

You are invited to submit your paper

www.bit.ly/IFCO2014form

Authors of abstracts selected to be presented at the conference and all invited speakers will be asked to indicate whether you are willing to have a full paper published in the Conference Book.

Publication

Registration opened on 17 March 2014. You can book your place online at www.conference.IFCO.info.

Registration

Conference timetable

The conference will start on 26 August with the IFCO Opening Ceremony.

It will be followed by three days of plenary sessions and workshops (27-29 August 2014). IFCO2014 also includes two youth programme options focusing on self-advocacy and empowerment for care-leavers, a children’s programme for under 13’swho come with their families and a new IFCO Members Networking event.

Conference organisers also envision a complimenting dynamic social programme.

To find out more please visit http://conference.IFCO.info/en/programme/agenda.html

The International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) has been a global leader in promoting family based care for children in need of care and protection for over 30 years. It is an international member-based network with members on every continent.

IFCO has a long history of very successful conferences and indeed, Ireland has hosted IFCO conferences 3 times already - in 1993, 2000 and 2009.

To find out more or become a member, please visit www.IFCO.info.

About IFCO

For any enquiries or for more information about submission please contact IFCO Board members and IFCO2014 co-hosts Jean Anne Kennedy or Danielle Douglas via email conference@ifco.info or by phone +353857517451 or +353876954135.

Contacts