Information

About the European Scientific Association on Residential and Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EUSARF)

The European Scientific Association on Residential and Family Care for Children and Adolescents (EUSARF) is a body of researchers focusing on child welfare and protection. The board of EUSARF is voluntarily and its members are concerned with the development and dissemination of knowledge in the field of child care.

EUSARF was founded in 1989 and has its origins in the cooperation between Flemish and Dutch universities. Currently, the EUSARF board is in 15 European countries and includes board members from Israel, the United States of America and Canada.

EUSARF develops scientific research in the field of child and family welfare and promotes the exchange of information between European members and other associations throughout the world. To achieve these goals, EUSARF organizes biennial international conferences and supports international seminars.

EUSARF has strong and long-lasting ties with other international associations of child welfare and child protection researchers, such as the International Association for Outcome-Based Evaluation and Research on Families’ and Children’s Services (IAOBERfcs), the International Network for Foster Care Research (INFCR) and the Association Internationale de Formation et de Recherche en Education Familiale [International Association of Training and Research in Family Education (AIFREF)]. Since the late 1980s, EUSARF has organized multiple international conferences:

1. 1989, November 30 – December 2 | De Haan (Belgium)
   ‘Innovations in Residential Care’
2. 1991, November 7–9, | Noordwijkerhout (the Netherlands)
   ‘Social Competence and Social Support’
3. 1993, September 29–October 2 | Lüneburg (Germany)
   ‘Love Is Not Enough’
4. 1995, September 6–9 | Leuven (Belgium)
   ‘There Is No Place Like Home. Supporting Children in Need and Their Families’
5. 1996, September 12–14 | London (Great Britain)
   ‘Action for Children. Linking Research, Practice and Policy across Europe’
6. 1998, September 23–26 | Paris (France)
   ‘Residential and Foster Care: New Approaches, New Practices’
   
   2000, May 10–13 | Maastricht – in cooperation with FICE ‘The Century of the Child. Changes in Views on (Residential) Child and Youth Care. Retrospect and Perspectives
7. 2002, September 11–14 | Trondheim (Norway)
   ‘Revitalising Residential and Foster Care: New Horizons in the 21th Century’
8. 2003, April 9–12 | Leuven (Belgium)
   ‘In the Best Interests of the Child: Cross-Cultural Perspectives’
9. 2005, September 21–24| Paris (France)
   ‘Troubled Children in a Troubled World’
10. 2008, March 26–29 | Padova (Italy)
    ‘Assessing the ‘Evidence-Base’ of Intervention for Vulnerable Children and Their Families, Cross National Perspectives and Challenges for Research, Practice and Policy’
11. 2010, September 22–25 | Groningen (the Netherlands)
    ‘How Interventions in Child and Family Care Work. Research and Practice-Based Findings on Interventions Regarding Vulnerable and Troublesome Children and Their Families’
12. 2012, September 3–7 | Glasgow (Scotland)
    ‘All Our Children. Positive Experiences, Successful Outcomes for Looked After and Other Vulnerable Children’
13. 2014, September 2–5 | Copenhagen (Denmark)
    ‘Making a difference’
14. 2016, September 13–16 | Oviedo (Spain)
    ‘Shaping the future’
15. 2018, October 2–5| Porto (Portugal)
    ‘All Children, All Families. Promoting Excellence in Child Welfare Research, Policy and Practice’
16. 2020, September 1–4 | Zürich (Switzerland)
    ‘The perspective of the Child’

The EUSARF Board – Members

• Hans Grietens (President)
• Annemiek Harder
• Mónica López López
• Johan Vanderfaeillie
• Andrew Kendrick
• Harriet Ward
• Robbie Gilligan
• Bernadette Tillard
• Hélène Join-Lambert
• Cinzia Canali
• Tiziano Vecchiato
• Jorge Fernandez del Valle
• Daniela Reimer
• Waleria Stelmaszuk
• Mette Lausten
• Tarja Pösö
• Torill Tjelflaat
• Shlomo Romi
• Jill Duerr Berrick
• Jim Anglin