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Small group or research presentation bookings – DCN Conference 2025

**Choose your option for the 12-1pm slot on the conference programme** At midday, before lunch, we are offering EITHER a small discussion group OR to ...

27 Apr 12:00-13:00

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**Choose your option for the 12-1pm slot on the conference programme**

At midday, before lunch, we are offering EITHER a small discussion group OR to hear the research presentations in the main theatre.

The small groups are all facilitated and will include roughly 7-12 people.

You can sign up to a “Meet & Connect” general discussion to be put in a group with other people in a similar situation to you. Alternatively, you can choose one of the specific topics.

If you’re coming as a couple, please select an option for each person attending.

If you have any questions or aren’t sure which one to attend, do drop us an email and we’ll give you some guidance.

We’ll let you know before the conference which group you have been allocated to.

NOTE: We canโ€™t guarantee that all the topic groups will run, as it depends on who signs up. If we donโ€™t run your first choice, weโ€™ll contact you for an alternative.

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More upcoming events

Member event

In person

Apr

27

DCN Spring Conference 2025

We’re really excited to announce that tickets are on sale for our annual DCN members’ conference in North London on Sunday 27 April 2025. The event is a wonderful opportunity to connect with others and to hear from knowledgeable and inspiring speakers. __Programme for the day__ [Conference programme](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Programme-to-share-ahead-of-the-day.pdf) We have a full day planned, as you’ll see from the programme attached (and linked above). You’ll hear from parents and donor conceived adults sharing their experiences. A sperm donor and a young man from a solo mum family will be speaking about meeting and their developing relationship. We have invited Debbie Kennett to talk about home DNA testing. Debbie is an expert and author on genetic genealogy. She’ll explain about what home DNA testing is, how people are using it and the impact and implications for donor conception families. We’re very pleased to have Dr Vasanti Jadva from University of London presenting a selection of research, aiming to shed light on the complexity of searching for donor connections and the different feelings that people can have towards those they are connected to. Alternatively, instead of the research session, you’ll have the option to join a small group to focus discussion on specific topics. More details will be sent out after you book, but you can see the [options here](https://bookwhen.com/dcn-national-conferences/e/ev-sq3s-20250427120000). 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 12 to make it possible for you all to attend the day. * DC teens and adults: this is an opportunity for children 13-17 and DC adults 18+ to join us for the day and meet with others. * Professionals in the field: Please do join us for an informative and thought-provoking event. 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. Also, we’d like you to be aware that there will be babies and children present. If you do decide to book, we’ll make sure we connect you with any other prospective parents who are there on the day. 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://www.dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/01/General-Information-London-conference-2025.pdf) * [Childcare and activities for children](https://www.dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/01/Babies-Children-Teens-London-conference-2025.pdf) * [Programme for the day](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/03/Programme-to-share-ahead-of-the-day.pdf) * Childcare and children’s activity places are LIMITED so book soon * Booking deadline is 22 April * Cancellations befor 11 April 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 ยฃ7 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.
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Member event

Online

Apr

28

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
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Member event

Online

Apr

29

Solo parents to children in primary school (approximately 6-12 years old)

This is a DCN chat for solo mums or dads with children at primary school ages. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Stefanie, solo mum to one child. 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
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Member event

Online

Apr

30

Couples (including separated couples) with children ages 4-7

You are invited to join us for a conversation for members who are parents to children aged 4-7 years old. DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Mary-Blair, mum through egg donation to two children. 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
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May

3

Thames Valley- General group

Thames Vally group coordinators Emily and Katy, would like to invite members to a get-together in the park. Date: Saturday May 3rd Location: Florence Park, Oxford Time: 11-2pm.
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Member event

Online

May

3

Virtual Meetup for members in North America

Please join us to meet other DCN members living in the United States and Canada on May 3rd, 6pm EST. This is an informal opportunity to get to know others in North America, chat about all things donor conception, and form some new connections. DCN volunteer, Joumana, will be facilitating the Chat.
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Member event

Online

May

6

Couples (including separated couples): talking with children ages approx. 8-12

You are invited to join us for a conversation for members parents to children children ages approx. 8-12 approx DCN Chat is a peer support online get-together. This DCN Chat will be hosted by Fran, mum to two, conceived with 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
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Member event

Online

May

7

Chat for men only - those considering or who are dads through sperm donation

This DCN chat is for men only – in heterosexual couples, consideirng, undergoing treatment or dads through sperm donation. This Chat will be facilitated by Chris, dad to two children, conceived with sperm donation. DCN Chats offer a space for members to come together to talk about shared issues. This is a peer support online get-together. 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 friendly non-judgemental 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
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Members and non-members

Online

May

9

Making It Real

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? 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 is an interactive and experiential workshop and we always get fantastic feedback. “๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ก๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต ๐˜ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ!” “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.” 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. We also look at how to support families as children grow up and circumstances (and interest levels) change. ๐—˜๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€ * Friday 9 May 2025 * 9:15am – 4:45pm * Zoom – Online * ยฃ130 or early bird price ยฃ100 if booked before 1 March * [Programme](https://dcnetwork.org/app/uploads/2025/04/Making-It-Real-April-2025-Programme-overview.pdf) ๐—™๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ: 1. Hear the experiences of parents and donor conceived adults – how do these families fare in the long term? 2. 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). 3. Learn how DNA testing is revolutionising the making of genetic connections and the implications for families. 4. Listen to DC Networkโ€™s long view of life for donor conception families 5. 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.
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Members and non-members

Online

May

10

Workshop: Telling & Talking (solo mum and two-mum families)

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 youโ€™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 couplesโ€™ workshops have a small number of places for pregnant women.
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Member event

In person

May

10

Bristol - local group meetup

Come along to join this well-established group for in-person meetups scheduled across the year: 10th May, 10-3pm, Blaise Castle 21st June, 10-3pm, Ashton Court 27th July, 10-3pm, Clifton Observatory 6th September, 10-2pm, Old Library, Muller Road BS7
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Member event

In person

May

11

Dorset - Family meetup

Come and join members in Dorset for a meetup at Kingston Maurward and a chance to get to know other members locally. Meetup at midday. Explore Sign up here to let us know to expect you.
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Member event

In person

May

11

South East London meetup

The SE London group are getting together for a summer meetup thanks to volunteer, Cathy. Join us for a picnic in Peckham Rye park on Sun 11th May, 2.30-4.30, Peckham Rye park All are welcome, prospective and parents in all family types, and children of course. You don’t have to be from SE London to join, if you want to come along you are welcome!!!
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Member event

Online

May

14

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
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Members and non-members

Online

May

17

Workshop: Telling & Talking (mum-and-dad families)

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 youโ€™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.
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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