On 30 November – 3 December 2009, Better Care Network, partnered with BCN Steering Committee members Save the Children and UNICEF, to hold a high-level conference on children without adequate parental care at Wilton Park conference centre in the UK. The conference brought together leaders from Government, bi-lateral donors, international agencies, private foundations, and academia to explore challenges and opportunities in protecting these children. The Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children, together with the UNCRC, provide a clear framework for action to support families to care for their children and to develop quality family-based alternatives to residential care. This conference sought to bring energy and drive into realizing the changes needed to better care for and protect vulnerable children. For more information on the conference, visit the links below:

• The Neglected Agenda: Protecting Children without Adequate Parental Care Conference
  Conference programme, background papers, key policy recommendation from 2009 Wilton Park conference event

• Final Report from Wilton Park Conference: The Neglected Agenda: Protecting Children without Adequate Parental Care
  Policy recommendations and conclusions from November's high level conference focused on gathering data, harnessing political will, strengthening systems, securing funding, and increasing public and political understanding regarding children without adequate parental care