CIFA is an independent organisation providing a regional platform for networking and collaboration among organisations and professionals in Asia who share the mission of "Converging Profession Wisdom for Family Well-Being." Its function is to support and enhance mutual interests in research and training initiatives, and to exchange clinical experiences and policy formulation on families that are unique to the Asian region.

The Inauguration and Inaugural Symposium of CIFA was held at The University of Hong Kong in 2008, followed by biennial Regional Symposiums in Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul and Taiwan. Other significant activities include the Family Summit in 2014 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family and the Asian Family Summit in 2018 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of CIFA as well as to echo the global effort to achieve the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda For Sustainable Development as promulgated by the United Nations.

CIFA was granted the Special Consultative Status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 2021, giving formal recognition to its efforts in advancing family well-being in the Asian Region, putting CIFA onto the international arena. CIFA has been invited to join the global efforts to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2024, and to co-organise an Expert Group Meeting on one of the mega-trends in Asia.

The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) aims to nurture resilient individuals, strong families and a caring society. As MSF, we are professionals with a passion for people. We develop the “heartware” for Singapore through our policies, community infrastructure, programmes and services. Through these efforts, we hope to nurture resilient individuals and families, and play a part in helping our citizens achieve their hopes and aspirations for themselves and their families.

MSF has designated 2022 as the Year of Celebrating SG Families.

Asian Family Conference

MSF's Asian Family Conference (AFC) focuses on understanding and strengthening families in the Asian region, and to deepen the policy-research-practice nexus within Asia. This year, MSF has worked with CIFA and the NUS Social Work Department to present the 3rd edition of the conference as the CIFA Regional Symposium and MSF Asian Family Conference (CIFA-AFC). The inaugural AFC was held in 2017 with the theme on 'Ageing Families'. The theme for MSF's second AFC in 2019 was 'Parenting for Stronger Families: Challenges and Opportunities'.

The Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in NUS started in 1952 and provides professional social work education at the Undergraduate, Post-Graduate Diploma, Masters and PhD level. The department has a dynamic team of faculty and students who are passionate about enhancing social well-being along the individual to societal levels using a variety of methods relevant to today's society.

NUS Social Work Department aims to be a leading educational and research institution within the international social work community, providing a distinctive Asian perspective in social work and social development. Its mission is to produce and develop competent social work graduates who can contribute to the well-being of society, and to lead in the development and promotion of regional social work education, practice and research in collaboration with Asian and other international partners.

NUS Social Work Department is also a CIFA member organisation.