Care for Children was honoured to co-host a national summit on care reform in Yerevan, Armenia, alongside the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. This was a positive step forward in advancing Armenia’s child welfare system, and provided a critical platform for promoting reform towards long-term family care for disadvantaged children throughout in Armenia and the surrounding region.
The summit brought together government leaders, international experts, and diplomatic representatives to share expertise and explore opportunities for collaboration. Care for Children’s Founder and Executive Director, Robert Glover, opened the conference with Armenia’s Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Narek Mkrtchyan, and UNICEF Country Representative, Christine Weigand. Dr. Mary Beek, a guest of Care for Children’s and a leading global expert on family care, delivered a keynote address on the Secure Base Model and its use for supporting foster families.
Minister Mkrtchyan noted the progress made in Armenia, with over 100 families now providing care for nearly 180 children, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding the system, ensuring every child is afforded the same opportunity. Robert Glover shared Care for Children’s global experience in family placement, highlighting successful transitions from institutional to family-based care across Asia.
Care for Children’s Asia Regional Team (ART) led several key sessions, providing practical guidance and sharing lessons learned from our work in China. Their expertise and experience provided valuable insights for government staff and local childcare practitioners. Their contributions not only strengthened the summit but also helped to inspire confidence in the family placement model we are advocating for.
In addition to the summit, Care for Children participated in a roundtable discussion, hosted by the ministry, with Country Ambassadors from Serbia, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudia Arabia, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Armenia. The session explored shared priorities and outlined opportunities to localise global best practices in family care.
A key highlight of this meeting was a video address from the UK’s Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, who commended the Armenian government and Care for Children’s work:
“One of the governments you’ve worked closely with is Armenia. I want to thank the Armenian government for hosting this summit and for all the work you are doing in your country and the region to lead this process. I hope the conference will help us bring new allies into this movement, so more children across more countries can experience the joy of being part of a loving family.”
This endorsement, which you can view below, along with the presence of Wai Ho, a representative from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), reflects growing international support for family-based care reform.
This work in Armenia underscores the relevance and urgency of Care for Children’s vision and mission: to see ‘a world of children in families’. We are grateful to the Armenian government, the FCDO, our international partners, and our global supporters for helping us to make this vision a reality.
