Skip to content
HomeEvents Making It Real 2026

Members and non-members

Online

Professional

Workshop

Making It Real 2026

Workshop for professionals working with donor conception families and prospective parents. Do you work with donor conception families or with patients using donor eggs, ...

8 May 09:15-16:45

Book now

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 theyโ€™re on? Would you like to better understand the bigger picture and what life is really like for donor conception families?

Our โ€˜Making it Realโ€™ 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.

“๐˜ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ต ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฑ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ.”

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ ๐˜๐—ผ:
* **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 Networkโ€™s team.

๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€
* Friday 8 May 2026
* 9:15am – 4:45pm BST
* Zoom – Online
* ยฃ139 or early bird price ยฃ109 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.

๐—™๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ:
* 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 Networkโ€™s long view of life for donor conception families
* Feel better supported in your role in the fast changing world of donor conception.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ:
* 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 – whatโ€™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.

๐—”๐—น๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ? 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 donโ€™t hesitate to get in touch with us on 020 7278 2608 or at enquiries@dcnetwork.org.

* Payment: you can pay by card, bank transfer or cheque
* Invoicing/Receipt: if you need an invoice to raise the payment through your employer, please book your place, select ‘Offline payment’ and get in touch
* Cancellations: bookings cancelled before 1 March 2026 will be refunded in full minus ยฃ15 admin fee per booking. Bookings cancelled between 1-11 March will receive a 50% refund. Any bookings cancelled on or after 12 March will not be refunded.
* Log-in details: these will be sent a few days before the event
* Accreditation: a certificate of attendance is available post-event
* Problems on the day: if you have issues on the day of the event, please contact us on 44 7503 567212

๐—ข๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€? Do get in touch on 020 7278 2608 or at enquiries@dcnetwork.org and we will be happy to help.

Book now

More upcoming events

Member event

Online

Mar

5

Couples with babies born or expected 2026

This is a DCN chat for couples, heterosexual or same-sex, who are new parents to babies born in 2026. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. The space will be open for you to connect with others and will be facilitated by Ian, who together with his wife, has one child concieved through egg donation who is 3 years old. Join us for a friendly opportunity to meet others at the same stage as you, for a place to grow friendships for you and your family. If you find that you need further more professional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

11

The Big Question - What can we learn from the world of adoption?

Donor conception isnโ€™t the same as adoption, but there are overlaps. The donor conception world, and DC Network particularly, has drawn a lot of its approach from the experience and approach of the adoption and post-adoption community. As with donor conception, there was a time when adoption was kept a secret and professionals told parents to pretend to the child that they had been conceived naturally by the parents raising them. They might even have been told that it could be damaging to the child to know the truth. That advice changed a long time ago. In part, that was because adoption moved from a private arrangement to sit under the umbrella of social services, so social work principles were invoked early on. There was a recognition that truth was important, that biological relationships were important (even if they werenโ€™t the whole story) and that, with support, adoptive parents could find a way to share the information with their children truthfully and positively. It took longer for the donor conception community to embrace those messages. Donor conception has always come under the umbrella of clinical fertility treatment and was viewed more through that medical lens. But adoption led the way in showing it could and should be done. There were lots of helpful messages to learn from listening to adoptees, adoptive parents and professionals working in that field that could also be translated into good practice for the donor conception community. Of course, there are important differences with adoption, including the key fact that parents raising a donor conceived child were always the ones who intended to have that child. But both share questions around how to manage information about a childโ€™s origins and how to integrate other people who are closely genetically related into their family story and potentially into their lives. For our fourth โ€˜Big Questionโ€™ webinar, we thought this was a great topic to discuss. We will be exploring what we can learn from the adoption world and how it can help inform our approach where there is common ground. Weโ€™ve invited Marilyn Crawshaw and Susie Blamire, both social workers with extensive experience in adoption and donor conception, to join us in considering the question. Now an Honorary Fellow at the University of York, Marilyn Crawshaw has worked since the 1980s in the field of assisted conception and adoption, variously as a social worker, social work academic, Social and Ethical Inspector with the HFEA (the UK regulator) and policy adviser. She was a founder member of the British Infertility Counselling Association. Her research has been with DC adults, recipient parents, donors, adoptive parents and professionals. As a local authority social worker, Susie Blamire placed numerous children for adoption. She joined Cafcass in 2008, later becoming Head of Practice of their National Improvement Service. Susie was Cafcassโ€™ Peer Practice Specialist on Modern Families, which encompassed gamete donation. Susie moved to the Disclosure and Barring Service in August 2025 as Associate Director – Strategic Lead for Safeguarding and is also a Director of Surrogacy UK. She is the mother of two donor-conceived children. The conversation will explore themes such as: *) Adoption used to be kept secret โ€“ why did that change? *) How to โ€˜tellโ€™ and why itโ€™s important? *) What can adoptees teach us about the significance, or not, of genetics and biological relationships? *) What helps build robust families? You can join in the conversation too. Weโ€™ll be open to written comments, reflections and questions from members, either when you register or live during the event. We’ll be recording the conversation and will put the video in the members’ area on the website shortly after the webinar. Anyone registered will get notified when the recording is available.
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

11

Mixed families

You are invited to join us for a conversation for members who are either intending or have ‘mixed’ families – our term for those with a naturally conceived child (or adopted) and a donor conceived child, to talk about shared issues. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Laura, mum to two – the oldest naturally conceived and the youngest conceive through egg donation. All our DCN Chat facilitators are members themselves, volunteers, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

11

Single women - Double or embryo donation - Prospective parent

This is a DCN chat for single women considering or in treatment to become solo mums, considering or using double or embryo donation. This chat offers a space for discussion and peer support. This chat will be facilitated by Kerry, solo mum through double donation. All our facilitators are solo mums in the Network. This is not a professionally led or educational event with set objectives, rather this is a space for sharing and meeting others at the same or a similar stage of the journey. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further more professional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

16

Single women - Sperm donation - Prospective parent

This is a DCN chat for single women considering or in treatment to become solo mums. This chat is open for those using sperm donation or considering double donation and offers a space for discussion and peer support. This chat will be facilitated by Anna. Anna is a solo mum in the Network who kindly volunteers to support others. This is not a professionally led or educational event with set objectives, rather this is a space for sharing and meeting others at the same or a similar stage of the journey. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further more professional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

17

Solo mums with children conceived through double or embryo donation

This is a DCN chat for solo mums through double or embryo donation- with children of all ages. Join this chat if you are pregnant/have children through double or embryo donation. If you are a thinker/tryer there is a DCN chat available for that stage. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This chat will be facilitated by Lucia, solo mum to twins through embryo donation. All our Chat facilitators are members themselves, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event.
Book now

Members and non-members

In person

Mar

21

Getting Started

Event for prospective parents thinking about using egg, sperm or embryo donation. If youโ€™re thinking about using donor conception, you probably have lots of questions. This event is the perfect place to start getting answers. Join us and hear from: * __An embryologist__ from a UK clinic giving a really informative overview of the medical side of things. We always get fantastic feedback about this session, which provides an essential foundation with lots of time for questions. * __Donor conceived people__ talking about their experiences. How do the children feel? We know this is something lots of prospective parents wonder about. This event provides a rare opportunity to hear from them in person and ask questions. Not to be missed! * __Parents__ talking through their decision-making and describing family life once children arrive. Nothing beats hearing from people with real life experience. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ผ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ? This event is suitable for everyone at the start of their donor conception journey, for same-sex and heterosexual couples and for those planning to become single parents. It’s a friendly, inclusive chance to meet others at a similar stage in a relaxed environment at this in-person event. ๐—”๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น: The full day costs just ยฃ80 per person or ยฃ140 per couple when booked before 19 February (ยฃ95 and ยฃ170 after that date) and the 11am start time makes it easy to get to Waterloo and home in a day. This event is a Donor Conception Network event so you can rest assured that all information will be impartial and based on our experience as a charity working with donor conception families for the past 30+ years. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜’๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—บ๐—ฒ? You can find the full programme with timings below. ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ The ticket price includes tea, coffee and cake but not lunch; this helps us keep costs down and means you can choose and order whatever you’d like separately. You can find the pub’s menu here: https://www.thehercules.co.uk/food/menus. You are also free to have lunch elsewhere (or bring your own) of course but we hope you’ll stay with us during the break as it will be a great opportunity to chat with other attendees and our DCN team.
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

25

Heterosexual couples -Chat for those undergoing treatment with egg donation

A space for members who are in the process of undertaking treatment with egg donation, to come together to talk about shared issues. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Anna. All our DCN Chat facilitators are members themselves, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further support, please dont hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

26

Heterosexual couples -Chat for those considering egg donation - Prospective parent

A space for members considering egg donation, to come together to talk about shared issues. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Alex. *There is a separate group running for those undertaking treatment already – this group is predominently for thinking through this route to parenthood. All our DCN Chat facilitators are members themselves, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further support, please dont hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Mar

30

Anonymous donation - for those who don't have ID release or known donors

This DCN Chat is aimed at discussing anonymous donation and how that is experienced for us as donation recipients. The chat will be facilitated by Valentina, DCN member, and mum through egg donation to two children through anonymous donation. Please be aware that the Anonymous donation chatโ€™s purpose is to understand the meaning that is given to the anonymous donation and how it is managed by those who are already parents. Prospective parents can join the call, however the main goal is to offer an opportunity to talk through the meaning that recipient parents give to the anonymous donation, rather than explore whether this is the best route for prospective parents, which would be best done in the thinker/tryer spaces. This DCN Chat is to offer a space to talk about experiences. This is not an educational event and rather, is offered as a peer-support opportunity.
Book now

Member event

Online

Apr

8

Half sibling discussion

This DCN Chat is aimed at discussing the pros and cons of taking steps to identify genetic siblings. We will offer a space to deliberate about the merits and pitfalls of this and what possible implications doing so/or not do so might have on you and your child. The chat will be facilitated by Adrienne, who is a solo mum with a child born in 2020. This forum is for discussing the topic, rather than a ‘how to’. ** Becuase of the nature of the conversation we ask that participants are particularly careful not to share identifying details of their donor.
Book now

Member event

Online

Apr

15

Couples (including separated couples) with children ages 0-3

You are invited to join us for a conversation for members who are parents to small children aged 0-3 years old. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Rachel, who together with her husband, has two children through donor conception. All our DCN Chat facilitators are members themselves, volunteers, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

Online

Apr

15

Solo parents to children aged 5 and under

This is a DCN chat for solo mums and dads who have children ages 5 and under. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Adrienne, solo mum to a child born 2017. All our DCN Chat facilitators are members themselves, and hosting the chat as individuals. This is not a professionally led or educational event. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further more professional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Member event

In person

Apr

19

DCN Spring Conference 2026

We’re really excited to announce that tickets are on sale for our annual DCN members’ conference in North London on Sunday 19 April 2026. The event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and to hear from knowledgeable and inspiring speakers. We have a full day planned where you’ll hear from parents, donor conceived adults and professionals working in the field. Topics will explore scenarios around Telling and Talking, what we can learn from the current research and how to manage some of the more tricky issues that can come up for donor conception families. As well as the main presentations, you’ll also have the option to join a small group to focus discussion on specific topics, which also provides an opportunity to meet and connect with others. Weโ€™ll be confirming the speakers and sessions over the next few weeks and will update the details as time goes on. The breaks and final hour will provide some relaxed time for conversations and connections with other members, making the day social as well as informative and supportive. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ผ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜? * Parents of donor conceived children: If youโ€™ve had children this is a chance to meet other parents, to share experiences and get support. This is a family event so we provide childcare and activities for children up to 13 to make it possible for you all to attend the day. * DC teens – we’re running a teen group in the morning for children aged 13-17 * DC adults 18+: this is an opportunity to join us for the day and meet with others. * Professionals in the field: this is an informative and thought-provoking day that will help inform your practice and provides a chance to connect with the DCN team. ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐˜? If you haven’t had children yet, youโ€™re welcome to join us at this conference but do be aware that the content is aimed mostly at parents. You might prefer to book onto our event aimed at prospective parents [Getting Started 21 March 2026](https://bookwhen.com/dcn-events/e/ev-s74ov-20260321110000) If you do decide to book, we’ll make sure we connect you with any other prospective parents who are there on the day, but do be aware that there will be babies and children present. ๐— ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ You can find more details about the conference in the following documents: * [Information summary](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2026/01/General-Information-2026.pdf) * [Childcare and activities for children](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2026/01/Babies-and-children-2026.pdf) * Programme for the day – coming soon * Childcare and children’s activity places are LIMITED so book soon * Booking deadline for adult places is 14 April * Booking deadline for childcare is 8 April * Cancellations before 31 March will be refunded in full but we aren’t able to refund after that date ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐——๐—–๐—ก ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ? This event is for DCN members and is one of the many benefits of membership. You can join us for just ยฃ8 per month (less if you are a lower income household) and as a member, in addition to being able to book tickets for the conference, you’ll also get access to online chats, WhatsApp groups, exclusive events, and much more. [Join here](https://www.dcnetwork.org/civicrm/contribute/transact/?reset=1&id=7). ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฎ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€: it’s really important to us that our conferences and events provide a safe, confidential space for us to discuss what can be very personal matters. We therefore do not allow journalists or media to attend unless they are joining in a personal capacity as a parent or prospective parent via donor conception or are a donor conceived adult. Everything discussed within our events is confidential and may not be reported or shared outside of the event.
Book now

Member event

Online

Apr

20

Single women - Sperm donation - Prospective parent

This is a DCN chat for single women considering or in treatment to become solo mums. This chat is open for those using sperm donation or considering double donation and offers a space for discussion and peer support. This chat will be facilitated by Anna. Anna is a solo mum in the Network who kindly volunteers to support others. This is not a professionally led or educational event with set objectives, rather this is a space for sharing and meeting others at the same or a similar stage of the journey. Join us for a supportive space to talk to others in similar situations. If you find that you need further more professional support, please don’t hesitate to contact the DC Network office on enquiries@dcnetwork.org
Book now

Start your journey today

Weโ€™ve been helping donor conception families for 30 years. Join us to get specialist support and information, and to find a community of families in a similar situation.

Join us
Donor Conception Network
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.