Chris Kondoyanni

International Social Service (ISS)

The International Social Service was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, almost 100 years ago in 1924 by a group of people wanting to find durable solutions for individuals and families migrating to the Americas after World War 1. We are now a network of ISS members present in more than 120 countries with a General Secretariat in Geneva providing coordination, training and capacity building. For the last 97 years, ISS has carried out cross border social casework protecting families and children separated by borders. So what exactly do we do? - We provide socio-legal assistance to families and children separated by borders - We protect children placed in vulnerable situations or deprived of their families often for reasons they cannot grasp (economic, social, child abuse, child trafficking, divorce) - We evaluate national child protection frameworks and advocate for laws that are always in the best interests of the child - We provide tailored technical advice and training of professionals with a special focus on intercountry adoption, alternative care, surrogacy and donor conceived persons - We offer training to all major stakeholders involved in child protection