International Forum for Child Welfare

June 1989 saw the opening chapter of child welfare initiatives that encompassed six continents. Thirty-eight independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) met for the first International Forum for Child Welfare (IFCW) in Finland. The initial push for this meeting of like-minded social welfare organizations began in 1985 under the tutelage of Sir Leslie Kirkley, [Page 819]director of Oxfam, and Alan David, president of the National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence in the United States. In the preparation and planning years, eight social welfare organizations from eight nations joined together to create a bold mission to support the nurturing and development of nongovernmental welfare initiatives on a global level that would benefit from a collaborative effort and technical assistance in building their organizations.

The IFCW stipulates a ...