Based on the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the 1993 Hague Adoption Convention, the network of the International Social Service (ISS) has established an expertise in the field of adoption and the placement of children without families, e.g. in foster families. The International Reference Center for the rights of the children deprived of their family (IRC), based in the ISS General Secretariat, provides country analyses, training materials and a literature archive on the subject.

ISS Switzerland advises people interested in adoption and provides information about countries of origin, the adoption process and the laws applicable in different countries. Raising awareness of the ethical aspects of adoption, with the welfare of the child at the centre, is an integral part of all consultations.

• Adoption counselling for people applying for adoption (in French and English)
• Ethical and legal orientation with regard to the adoption process
• Monthly report from the IRC, General Secretariat of the ISS