Dreama and UNICEF to Host Forum on Alternative Care for Children

Qatar, September 2026: The Orphan Care Center (Dreama), in cooperation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), will organise the "Alternative Care and Sustainable Well-being for Children Without Parental Care" Forum on 30 September and 1 October 2026 at QNCC, Auditorium 1. The two-day forum will run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

The forum will be held under the patronage of HE Ms Buthaina bint Ali Al-Jabr Al-Nuaimi, Minister of Social Development and Family and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Qatar Foundation for Social Work.

The event will bring together relevant institutions and centres to examine the requirements for strengthening the alternative care environment, supporting and empowering children without parental care, and discussing current and expected challenges and risks.

The forum places the best interests of the child at the centre of discussions, with an emphasis on family-based care and efforts to keep children within their families, or return them to their families, whenever the necessary conditions for protection, care and empowerment are met. Where these conditions cannot be provided, alternative care is highlighted as a means of safeguarding the child's safety and supporting their development.

The forum aims to review international standards, evidence-based approaches and lessons learned at global and regional levels to support the development of child protection and care systems. It will also explore approaches to child development, the impact of different care environments, capacity building for social service professionals and care providers, and social challenges affecting children and families.

Two-day programme on alternative care

The first day will include discussions on international standards for children's rights and well-being, Qatar's efforts to protect and care for children without parental care in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, global and regional trends in alternative care, the integration of children's rights into national policies and systems, and approaches to child development.

The programme includes contributions from Sheikha Najla bint Ahmed Al Thani, Executive Director of Dreama, a UNICEF representative, Aminul Islam, Asma Ali Al-Hassan, Florence Martin, Fatima Abdullah Al-Buainain, Dr Khalid Abdul Jabbar and Dr Rawan Ibrahim.

The second day will focus on strengthening the social service workforce, building the capacity of alternative care providers, social inclusion and children's rights, institutional partnerships, the role of media, financing and resource mobilisation. The forum will conclude with a review of its findings, recommendations and future directions.

Dreama works to provide care, protection and empowerment for orphans and children without family support, with an emphasis on enabling children to live within their natural families or alternative foster families and supporting the wider alternative care environment.

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