In recognizing that 143 million children live in crisis everyday without the support, happiness, heritage or love of a family, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services puts forth this mission...

To advocate and protect the right of every child to a safe, permanent and loving family.

Our Beliefs

• All children - regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, health, nationality or socio-economic standing, have an inherent right to a safe, permanent and loving family by birth or adoption.

• We believe that the 143 million children without family care represent a crisis of intolerable size and scope.

• Society, as individuals and as community, has a responsibility to ensure that every child can live, grow and flourish through family life and therefore society must respond to this crisis.

• Our response, whether governmental, organizational or individual, must
            - Be filled with humanity, morality, ethics and love.
            - Put the child’s best interest at the forefront of laws, policies, programs or
                services.
            - Include the strengthening and reunification of stable families.
            - Support the nutritional, educational, medical, emotional and residential 
                needs of each child.
            - Reflect and respect a child’s culture, ethnicity and nationality
            - Embrace collaboration, partnership, alliance and association.
            - Be global in policy, nature and action.
            - Serve to create a safe, permanent and loving family for each child.

• Creating permanent, safe and loving families for children must be prioritized through the strengthening of the birth family, adoption within the local or national community and adoption within the world community.

• While striving to create a safe, permanent and loving family through birth, domestic adoption or international adoption, our response must support and include Kinship Care, Foster Care, Group Homes, Institutions and other secondary options for those children for whom a permanent family is not a viable option.

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption both serve to provide the framework in which at risk children can be served.

• Through ethical collaboration individuals, communities, organizations and governments can fashion a global child-centric response which strengthens or creates a permanent, safe and loving family for every child.

Our Actions

• To put these beliefs into action and achieve our mission, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services;

• Advocates on behalf of children in need of safety, permanency and love

• Advises governments, legislators and policy makers on child welfare policies

• Establishes and strengthens the standards, ethics and practices of social service providers

• Educates the professional community

• Trains and informs parents

• Informs the community at large

• Promotes, protects and safeguards the institution of adoption

• Conducts research on the issues related to permanency for children

• Collaborates with our colleagues

• Encourages trust, support, communication and cooperation within the field of child welfare