In, 2015 ECO achieved its mission of developing a set of guidelines in early cleft care, agreed at a European level. You can download the guidelines here

Building on this, we have now been asked asked to coordinate teh development of a global set of guidelines for use by international NGOs working in cleft care.  These will focus on both long term sustainable cleft programmes and also on short term mission activities. The emphasis is on ethical working but with practical guidance on how to ensure cleft care is delivered in a multidisciplinary way. We are leading a team comprising representatives from the American Cleft Palate Association (ACPA) Global Smile Foundation, Smile Train, Operation Smile, and Transforming Faces.  The group has met 5 times since February and while the development of the guideline is important, perhaps of greater value is the positive  and constructive ongoing dialogue between the world’s major players in international cleft care.