General Secretariat

Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 90 years

  • homeslide1EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide2EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide3EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide4EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • homeslide5EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • homeslide6EN

    Protecting Children and Uniting Families Across Borders for 92 years

  • conference
  • homeslide1EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

  • homeslide3EN

    Every year, the ISS provides its services to approximately 75'000 families around the world

Latest News

Adoption of a historic resolution at the ISS IC in Melbourne, Australia

ISS Members recently participated at the ISS International Council to discuss emerging social challenges affecting children and families on the move. The necessity to collaborate as a network and further develop and expand well targeted individualized services addressing the complex needs of migrant families and children was also discussed in detail.
One of the outcomes of the IC was the adoption of a historic resolution, deciding unanimously for the membership expansion by giving the opportunity to more organizations adhering to ISS working principles, to join as members and actively participate in policy and decision making. The Secretary General, closed the meeting by stating that "ISS has taken the right decision in terms of membership structure. ISS is now better equipped to serve more and more children and families on the move and to serve better".

Testimonies

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"Today, though no longer husband and wife, we are still able to provide nurturing to our daughter and she has grown up without bitterness to either of us. Mediation has this ability of providing a family with respect and dignity, when a relationship has unfortunately broken down."

A father



"The proceedings were complex and long, with much back and forth between the two countries. We chose to attend mediation in order to speed matters up. Then, we realised that we could speak about everything and address questions that were going to come to the surface later anyway for example, how best to organise holidays."

A father and mother giving a joint report


"Now it's a war between laws. Lawyers in this country will give me custody [...] but that custody is not recognised in my husband's country of residence so I'm stuck in a situation where I cannot afford to take the child to the country where my husband is, in case I don't get him back. [On the other hand] I don't want to restrict my husband's access to the child."

A mother


"For example, we agreed that the children would attend a Spanish course once a week so that they would not forget my language and that of their grandparents, with whom they spoke daily while they were here."

A father



"I didn't like being 'ordered' to go to mediation. I was very aloof the first time the administrator phoned me because I didn't realise the set-up was so unbiased."

A man


"If parents knew about it, maybe they could start it before filing a court case and save a lot of suffering and stress, especially for the children."

A woman



"We agreed that the children would join me here when they were old enough to go to secondary school. This will happen this summer and I am very happy about it. I think I would not have reached this far if I had continued along the path of legal proceedings against my ex-wife. And I would have spent a huge amount of money in lawyers' fees since 2008. "

A father

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ISS Global Report 2015

Have a look at our Global Report 2015