In 2019 we held our first ACORES19 conference (using the initials of Acogimiento Residencial) with the theme: The future of residential care in child protection: Addressing therapeutic needs. At that event we made a brief presentation of some programs that were being carried out in other countries to serve children and young people with behavioral and emotional problems. We also took advantage of the presence of a large group of international experts to review the situation of residential care in a wide sample of countries. Our Child and Family Resaerch Group at the University of Oviedo hosted a meeting of the International Working Group on Therapeutic Residential Care, which brings together more than 30 residential care researchers and professionals from several countries. This group has published a manifesto in defense of the quality of therapeutic interventions in residential care and two books on residential care from an international perspective.
Again in 2024 this group will meet in Oviedo and we will take the opportunity to celebrate a new edition in this case ACORES 24 with the title: Children and youth with special vulnerability in child welfare: Cross national review of innovative therapeutic programs. On this occasion we want to present a more detailed analysis of some programs that are being carried out in several countries to meet the needs of children and young people with special vulnerability. They are programs that apply to both residential and family foster care. We will choose some programs that have been accumulating years of experience with very promising results, in some cases already considered evidence-based programs. We will dedicate a space of two and a half hours to each of them to be able to analyze in detail their intervention model and its characteristics, opening a time for debate with the public and with some experts who will act as moderators. These programs are: The CARE model of Cornell University (United States), of which we will also detail its implementation in the Community of Cantabria, the No Wrong Door program (England), the SYCAMORES program of California (United States) and we will also present two innovative experiences in Spain: the specialized family foster care program of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa and the yoArte program of the principality of Asturias.
In addition, the conference will include two plenary conferences and a poster presentation space so that researchers, agencies and professionals can present in brief format their results or experiences, always related to the care of especially vulnerable children and young people in the protection system.
Once again, looking forward to welcoming you.
Jorge Fernández Del Valle
President of the Organising Committee
