Upcoming events

Come along to join an opportunity to meet other members in the Surrey area on 30th April at 8 pm. at the Caballo Lounge on Epsom High Street. Jane, who is coordinating this event, will be there to welcome you. Please do come along- meet others, share as much or as little of your stories that you wish, make new contacts and friends.

** FULLY BOOKED ** This workshop is for parents of donor-conceived children aged 0-7 years. Not sure how to begin a conversation with your child about their donor conception story? Maybe you’re unsure about whether telling is the right thing to do? Or perhaps you’re concerned about who to tell and not tell in your life? Our Telling & Talking workshop is designed specifically with your needs and questions in mind. It provides a safe and confidential space for you to explore the benefits of telling and how to get started. This workshop is equally appropriate whether you had treatment in the UK or abroad, with a known, identifiable or anonymous donor or if your treatment involved surrogacy. You may be wondering how to start talking to your child about their donor-conceived origins, or you may have already begun this process and would like to explore what may come up in the future. As a single or lesbian woman, we recognise that your experiences are different from the time your pregnancy becomes public knowledge, and that attending our workshop even before your baby is born might be helpful for you. All of our single women and lesbian couples’ workshops have a small number of places for pregnant women.

Workshop for professionals working with donor conception families and prospective parents. Do you work with donor conception families or with patients using donor eggs, sperm or embryos? Do you want to feel confident supporting them, not just at the point you see them, but in a way that truly considers the lifelong journey they’re on? Would you like to better understand the bigger picture and what life is really like for donor conception families? Our ‘Making it Real’ workshop is specially designed for you, to enhance your knowledge and understanding of this route to parenthood and help you offer families the support they need. This session will help you understand the arc of experiences that donor conception families may move through, including the various points at which they may need information, support or guidance. “𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.” 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗼: * **Shape your policy:** Attendance at this workshop will inform your policy and practice, helping you support your clients and patients in making decisions that are right for their future. * **Deepen understanding:** This workshop will deepen your own understanding of the ways in which creating a child using eggs, sperm or embryos from a third party, including with surrogacy, is different from standard fertility treatments. * **Support prospective parents:** We look at how best to help prospective parents consider from the outset the lifetime implications for the child and the family * **Support families:** We look at how to support families as children grow up and circumstances, as well as interest levels, may change. * **Connect with others in the field:** The workshop also provides an opportunity to meet and network with the other attendees, all of whom will be professionals in a related field, as well as with DC Network’s team. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 * Friday 8 May 2026 * 9:15am – 4:45pm BST * Zoom – Online * £139 or early bird price £109 if booked before 1 March * [Programme](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/11/Making-it-Real-2026-Programme-MIR.pdf) This workshop will deepen your own understanding of the ways in which creating a child using eggs, sperm or embryos from a third party, including with surrogacy, is different from standard fertility treatments. We look at how to help prospective parents consider the lifetime implications of this route for the child and the family, plus how to support families as children grow up and circumstances (and interest levels) change. 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱: * Hear the experiences of parents and donor conceived adults – how do these families fare in the long term? * Consider the place of the donor, the donor’s family and any genetic siblings or half-siblings in donor conception families (especially important post-2023). * Learn how DNA testing is revolutionising the making of genetic connections and the implications for families. * Listen to DC Network’s long view of life for donor conception families * Feel better supported in your role in the fast changing world of donor conception. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱: * The support needed by donor conception families before, during and after treatment, especially as choices are being made about clinics and countries. * The popularity of genetic testing companies and the impact of the removal of anonymity in the UK – what’s changed now that the donor register has opened? * The services and resources offered by DC Network – and how these complement and build on information provided and counselling undertaken in clinics and elsewhere * The social and emotional issues of using donated gametes * The implications of the use of DNA and genetic testing websites * The experiences of patients and clients in greater depth. 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱? Please note that the content of this workshop will be very similar to those run in previous years. If you attended before, you are welcome to attend the day again or you may like to take this opportunity to recommend it to colleagues so they can experience it for themselves. Attendance at this workshop will inform your policy and practice in helping you support your clients and patients in making decisions that are right for their future. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 020 7278 2608 or at enquiries@dcnetwork.org.

Thames Vally group coordinators Emily and Katy, would like to invite members to a get-together in the park on Sunday, 10-May-26 – Family event Florence Park, OX4 3PW. The event is open to all (including intended parents). DCN Thames Valley 2026 General Events coming up: 29 to 31-Aug-26 Camping Cotswold Camping, OX7 3LL Sat, 05-Sep-26 Family event Dinton Pastures, RG10 0TH