All you need to know about adoption & Fostering. Hosted by TACT 

TACT is the largest fostering and adoption charity of its’ kind in the country. Formed in 1993, it now has over 500 carers, who look after over 600 children and young people. TACT’s reputation, and growth, can be attributed to its’ strength in providing strong, resilient long term placements—enabled by TACT’s mission of investing all of its surplus income into service, staff, carer and children’s development. 

Andy Elvin, joined TACT as chief executive late last year, after a career in children’s social work for over 15 years. A social worker by background, but also a foster carer in the US, Andy has worked within a number of local authorities, gaining extensive experience working with looked after children.  

Formerly director of the Soho Family Centre, then strategic director for children’s centres and extended schools in Richmond, Andy went on to become chief executive of Children and Families Across Borders for six years, where he led national work to more effectively identify children privately fostered from overseas, improve responses to victims of child trafficking and helped end the detention of children in the immigration process. Andy is also a founding board member of Frontline Social Work, which is dedicated to recruiting and developing leaders in social work.

Today Andy will be talking not only about adoption, but also the many other forms of parenting that are available to those wishing to build loving families of their own. The rise of special guardianship orders, family and friends foster care, ‘fostering to adopt’ are part of those opportunities, and Andy will speak about TACT’s excellent record in recruiting LGBT carers and adopters, as well as strength in supporting towards approval couples and single carers that other agencies may view as being too ‘unorthodox’.  

How to select a surrogate mother and/or egg donor. Hosted by CSP

CSP will discuss what an  agency should do and what information the Intended Parents can expect to be presented with.  The areas discussed are prescreening of surrogate  mothers, financial overview and insurance for both the surrogate mother and the newborn baby. Dr. Ringler will discuss what he is looking for when he screens both the surrogate mother and egg donor. Robyn will also discuss how she finds egg donors and helps them navigate the road to becoming an egg donor, and whether the donor wants to meet the Intended Parent(s) or remain anonymous.  What makes Robyn feel a donor will proceed and is worth investing her professional time on and which donors does she instinctively decide will not make her way through the process.

Managing a Surrogacy Program. “It Takes a Village”. Hosted by LA Jolla IVF

Parenting through surrogacy takes a village... This includes screening and medical management of donors, intended parents and surrogates, complying with the laws and regulations(FDA), timing and synchronisation of the surrogate for embryo transfer which includes the coordination of laboratory procedures. Expert Dr. Smotrich  from La Jolla IVF will give his advice, he specialises in third party treatment and LGBT family building. In 1997 Dr. Smotrich helped his first male-male couple through surrogacy, these patients set legal groundbreaking precedent by challenging the law in the California supreme Court.