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International Social Service General Secretariat

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International Social Service General Secretariat

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We are an international NGO founded almost 100 years ago, in 1924, in Geneva. Our Transformation Targets 2020 - 2024:
1. Measure the Social Impact of our work
5.

We are organized as a network of national entities that assists children and families confronted with complex social problems as a result of migration. ISS is omnipresent in child protection and child wellbeing activities thanks to its presence in more than 120 countries. Besides direct field activities, ISS engages in training and capacity building projects for social workers, caregivers as well as officials from government authorities. Advocacy, policy development and research in favour of and to promote the respect of children’s best interests and rights are at the heart of our focus. Our core activities;
- We provide socio-legal assistance to families and children separated by borders;
- We protect children placed in vulnerable situations or deprived of their families;
- We evaluate national child protection frameworks and advocate for laws that are always in the best interests of the child;
- We analyze the laws and provide tailored technical advice with a special focus on intercountry adoption, pre and post adoption care and surrogacy;
- We offer training to all major stakeholders and professionals involved in child protection. Development of the world's first integrated Social work and Artificial Intelligence system in cross-border case management.
2. Creation of a Knowledge and Research Platform digitalising almost 100 years of documents on casework and advocacy.
3. Network Development and Training through the development of online training webinars for our global ISS staff.
4. Enhance External Communications and Fundraising

13/10/2026

When family violence crosses borders, protection systems often reach their limits: different procedures, lack of coordination, complex jurisdictions.

The ISS Ottawa Principles address these challenges and provide a shared framework for guidance. They aim to offer practical and multidisciplinary guidance to various stakeholders:

➡️ Lawmakers and public authorities
➡️ Courts
➡️ Social service professionals and child protection actors
➡️ Non-governmental organisations and civil society actors
➡️ Law enforcement agencies
➡️ Academics and researchers in child protection, family law, and human rights.

By bridging the gap between legal frameworks and practical challenges, the Principles aim to enhance the ability of all actors to respond to cross-border family violence in a coordinated, childfocused, and culturally sensitive way.

They draw on both international standards and existing practices that have proven to be beneficial, recognising the importance of tailoring responses to local contexts while upholding universal human and children’s rights.

You can download the ISS Ottawa Principles in English, German and Italian. Other languages to follow!
https://iss-ssi.org/iss-resources/

08/10/2026

On 5 and 6 October, the ISS Casework Coordinators met in Riga, Latvia. The meeting was hosted by ISS Latvia, Ministry of Justice of Republic of Latvia, in the Judicial Academy, and was opened by Viesturs Vitkovskis, Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia. The agenda was packed and various topics related to cross border casework and collaboration among ISS members was discussed including
Implementation of the ISS Ottawa Principles for protecting children and parents subject to family violence in cross-border situations Child protection, and child and human trafficking Search for origins and a child's rights to identity in adoption ISS data protection and quality casework benchmarks Mediation based approach in cross border casework

🙏 ISS would like to thank ISS Latvia Latvijas Republikas Tieslietu ministrija and all participating ISS casework coordinators for their engagement and their contribution to protect children and families across borders through quality cross border casework.

06/10/2026

🔆 Spotlight on ISS's Technical Assistance and Capacity Building - Mission to Senegal as part of the ISS France RACINE programme aiming to strengthen the capacity of professionals to support adoptees and their families throughout Search for Origins processes.

The mission was conducted jointly by ISS France and ISS General Secretariat, with the participation of the teams from Service Social International Afrique de l'Ouest, SSI - AO and Enda Jeunesse Action Senegal. It provided an opportunity to share experiences, analyse existing practices and identify ways to strengthen support for those concerned.

💡 The meetings and workshops organised with institutional partners and child protection stakeholders helped advance discussions, deepen cooperation among the actors involved, and define shared areas of work for the next steps.

This collective effort highlights the importance of dialogue and cooperation in advancing the right to identity and access to origins.

🤝 A big thank you to the International Adoption Mission France Diplomatie for their support, as well as to all the partners and professionals we met in Senegal for their warm welcome, valuable contributions and commitment.

29/09/2026

Heidi and John knew nothing about each other for their entire lives. Then their mother died, and an uncle revealed to Heidi that she had a brother.

Thanks to the collaboration between ISS Germany Familie international frankfurt e.V. für Adoption, Suche, Mediation and International Social Service-USA, and psychosocial counselling, Heidi was reunited with her brother.

Read the entire story and other inspiring ISS stories here! 💕
https://iss-ssi.org/iss-stories/

24/09/2026

🔆Spotlight on ISS's Technical Assistance and Capacity Building - transferring knowledge and skills to families in need in collaboration with national and local authorities

ISS Partner in Vietnam, the Research and Training Centre for Community Development (RTCCD), just launched the second phase of the "Family project" that aims to keep families of children with disabilities together in Vietnam, funded by the CapitaLand Hope Foundation and implemented in collaboration with SPOON and the ISS General Secretariat.

RTCCD organised a kick off meeting with participants and representatives from national and local authorities, including the Ministry of Health who strongly supports the project.

The Family project will provide individual psychosocial and peer support to 300 families in Hanoi and Ninh Binh provinces. Families will also be able to participate in tailored training workshops to reinforce their parental skills and self confidence in providing nurturing care for their children at home. The training workshops cover various topics such as

▶️ Understanding the needs and rights of children with disabilities
▶️ Supporting the development of communication, interaction, social-emotional skills for children with disabilities
▶️Nutrition and feeding techniques for the development of children with disabilities

All partners are looking forward to the project's implementation with great enthusiasm and commitment. ❤️

21/09/2026

2026 International Day of Peace honours the “everyday architects of peace” — people driving local action, laying the groundwork for stability and building lasting peace from the ground up (UN).

Today, we honour ISS colleagues, social workers and child protection professionals, who invest day after day in strengthening local and national communities. They directly support children and families through tailored activities and training, and provide psychosocial and legal services to those most vulnerable.

Lasting peace starts with protecting children, strengthening families and building resilient communities.

17/09/2026

🔆 Spotlight on ISS's Technical Assistance and Capacity Building - a project implemented by ISS UK.

ISS-UK CFAB supports governments, statutory authorities and child protection professionals to strengthen international safeguarding practice through training, specialist advice and cross-border expertise.

CFAB has delivered capacity-building programmes to the UK Government, including the Foreign Office, as well as overseas missions, including to NGO Mawaddah Association for Family Stability from Saudi Arabia. These programmes combine evidence-based theory with practical case-study exercises, helping professionals build confidence in identifying, assessing and responding to safeguarding concerns in international contexts.

The roundtable discussions showcased a diverse range of approaches to strengthening child and family wellbeing. Participants heard about the role and priorities of the Children's Commissioner for England, innovative work to support kinship families through Kitchen's wellbeing and confidence-building programmes, and the importance of investing in a strong and sustainable social service workforce globally.

Through initiatives such as these, CFAB continues to support the development of safeguarding knowledge and professional networks across borders, helping to strengthen systems that better protect children and support families worldwide.

15/09/2026

Through its technical assistance and capacity-building projects, ISS supports national authorities in developing tools and procedures to strengthen child protection systems.

Explore the following publications, which are the result of extensive with national authorities, ISS members and partners:

🔆 'Technical Guidance for Family Reintegration in Haiti', developed in collaboration with the du Bien-Être Social et de Recherche.

🔆 'Family Reintegration and Placement in Specialised Foster Families for Children with Disabilities in Côte d’Ivoire', developed in collaboration with the Ministère de la Femme de la Famille et de L'Enfant.

www.iss-ssi.org/iss-resources/special-needs-children/

🔆 Toolkit on the Protection of Migrant Children, developed in collaboration with Maroc. ISS assisted the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family in developing standard operation procedures to better protect migrant children in Morocco and clarify roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms among stakeholders.

www.unicef.org/morocco/documents/kit-hijra-wa-himaya

10/09/2026

Strong child protection systems require appropriate laws, effective institutions, skilled professionals and coordinated responses.

By providing technical assistance, ISS builds capacity that lasts beyond a single intervention.

Follow us in the coming weeks to learn more about our projects!
iss-ssi.org/technical-assistance-capacity-building

08/09/2026

The ISS General Secretariat is strengthening its expertise in digital innovation, data, AI, cybersecurity and data protection. The intern/volunteer will support the organisation’s digital transformation, including improving digital platforms, processes and tools, making better use of data and exploring emerging technologies such as AI. The role will also contribute to cybersecurity, information security and data protection.

Interested? Read and apply here
➡️ iss-ssi.org/work-with-us/

Adresse

ISS General Secretariat, 32 Quai Du Seujet
Geneva
1201

Heures d'ouverture

Lundi	09:00 - 18:00
Mardi	09:00 - 18:00
Mercredi	09:00 - 18:00
Jeudi	09:00 - 18:00
Vendredi	09:00 - 18:00

Téléphone

+41229067700

Site Web

http://www.iss-ssi.org/

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