The 1st Interprovincial Conference on Foster Care (EIAF) was organised by the Governmental Ministry of Social Development of Santa Fe through an intermediary organisation. The development of foster care programmes in Argentina is of great importance: in a 2011 report, more than 4,000 children were reported to have been integrated into these programmes.

The EIAF's objectives were as follows:

• To evaluate the state of the current foster care situation in Argentina.
• To strengthen practices by means of information exchange, and advocate the creation of a network of foster care programmes which operate at an interprovincial level.

The work and exchange space took place on Thursday the 21st and Friday the 22nd of August at the Roberto Fontanarrosa Cultural Centre, in Rosario. The individuals responsible for the running of this conference were: Joaquín Blanco, Coordination Secretary of Social Policies of the Santa Fe Government; Cristian Allende, Sub-secretary of Family, Children and Adolescents of the Santa Fe Province; and Matilde Luna, RELAF Director.

RELAF assisted in the activity with technical support, and ran the panel on ‘The Coordination of the Child Care and Protection Services' key figures: Latin American and Caribbean experiences’. During the first day of conferences, discussions were held by representatives from San Luis Province (the only region that has laws on Foster Care), Neuquén Province (which was the first province to establish a Provincial Foster Care Management organisation), and Emmanuel NGO, from Buenos Aires. Thanks to region-wide representation at the conference, it was possible to accumulate the relevant experiences of 14 Argentine provinces and numerous NGOs from the region regarding the legal side of fostering and the governmental programmes and NGOs which are linked to alternative care methods with families, and their consequent integration into society.

The second day of activities saw workshops take place, which touched upon the following themes: the process of family selection; intermediate accommodation; reasons, scope and methods; and the goal of fostering, and its complexities. Corazones por la Infancia NGO presented an exposition on its coordination practices with the State of Paraguay, and the results obtained therefrom, such as The Call to Action.

The ample participation given by Argentine provinces in this event needs to be highlighted. Although 14 were in attendance, 6 others that were not able to attend had shown their interest and support. The exchange space for interprovincial experiences reaffirms the need and will to mobilise and guarantee to all children in Argentina the chance to live in a family and community.