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Faith and the Family Forum

Beginning in 2023, the Faith and the Family forum will focus on Christian faith communities and their contributions to both the propagation and prevention of child-family separation across time and contexts. The forum will explore the theological dimensions of these issues and growing evidence about the effects of child-family separation on developmental outcomes across the life course.

The forum on Faith and the Family: Propagating and Preventing Child-Family Separation across Time and Context will be convened by Catholic Relief Services and Georgetown University’s Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues, in coordination with the Changing the Way We Care initiative and strategic partners.

With a particular focus on the Roman Catholic faith, project partners will consider the extent to which religious belief systems and practices have justified or opposed the separation of children from families in a variety of historical and regional contexts: American slavery, Indigenous communities, the development and use of residential care worldwide, and in migration policy and response. Partners will also consider the role of the Catholic Church in supporting vulnerable children, families, and communities and preventing unnecessary child-family separation.

The Faith and the Family forum will be shaped by a collaborative design team of thought leaders committed to incorporating a variety of perspectives into the conversation, including those who have experienced child-family separation, faith leaders, programmatic actors, researchers, and other stakeholders. 

We invite you to join us. For more information, please contact globalchildren@georgetown.edu or sign up to receive email updates.

Collaborative Design Team

Barbra Aber portrait

Barbra Aber

Catholic Relief Services

Regional Technical Advisor for Family Strengthening

Karis Danner-McDonald portrait

Karis Danner-McDonald

Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

2023-2024 Faith and the Family Undergraduate Student Fellow

Gillian Huebner portrait

Gillian Huebner

Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

Executive Director

Ian Manzi portrait

Ian Manzi

Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

Program Manager

Racquel Royer portrait

Racquel Royer

Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

2023-2024 Faith and the Family Graduate Student Fellow

Events

Essays

Blog Posts

Faith that Supports Families

February 26, 2024

There is global agreement (illustrated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child [1989], the most widely adopted human rights treaty) that optimal support for a child comes from a caring and protective family. In addition, Catholic social teaching (outlined in the Compendium of the

Responses

The Catholic Response to Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the Context of Migration

January 23, 2024

The Christian faith began with a vulnerable child born to a displaced mother facing a range of threats. Since then, Christian communities have interacted with children and families in precarious situations. Catholic organizations have often been on the front lines offering assistance to migrants and

Responses