English Speaking Working Group

Topics: Board | Meetings | Relationship Testing Workshop | Publications

Next meeting

The meeting will be our ESWG member meeting in connection with the 31st ISFG Congress that will be held in Montreal, Canada, August, 2026

Summary of the 2025 Scientific meeting, 19th - 20th May

The 2025 scientific meeting of the English Speaking Working Group, organized by the Department of Forensic Sciences, Norway, took place in Oslo, Norway, from May 19 to 20. It was an engaging meeting with around 70 participants and 25 scientific presentations covering topics such as forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG), kinship analysis using SNP panels, epigenetic age prediction models, ancient DNA studies, and ethical considerations in donor conception. Adam Staadig from Sweden received the award for best presentation, which focused on experiences from the implementation of a SNP panel in casework. We thank Marguerethe Stenersen and colleagues for organizing this successful meeting!

Summary of the 2023 Scientific meeting, 15th - 16th May

The meeting was hosted by Denise Syndercombe-Court and colleagues at King’s Forensics at King's College of London. There were around 70 participants and 18 presentations covering various topics related to DNA analysis, genetics and kinship (such as biostatistics, SNP marker panels for kinship testing, investigative genetic genealogy, case reports, etc). Please see https://www.eswglondon23.com/ for the detailed program.

Proficiency Test

For many years, the ESWG has organized an annual proficiency testing programme with a special focus on relationship testing, including both wet testing and paper challenges. The programme is held once a year; in the most recent round, around 60 laboratories participated. It currently consists of three parts: A. Wet Exercise - This exercise typically involves a paternity or maternity case. Each participating laboratory performs STR (or SNP) analysis to solve the case. All submitted genotypes are compared across participants, along with the calculated likelihood ratios (LRs) and conclusions. B. Paper Challenge - This exercise presents a series of challenging kinship case questions, which may include expanded pedigree testing, mutation events, and lineage testing. Using the case descriptions and genotype data provided, each participant performs biostatistical calculations and reports LRs together with case conclusions. C. SNP Exercise - Introduced in 2024, where each participants are ask to generate SNP genotypes from the provided samples. Any SNP typing method may be used. All submitted SNP genotypes are compared between participants. This exercise does not include kinship questions. The registration deadline is normally in April. For further information or to sign up, please contact the head organizer Daniel Kling (daniel.kling@rmv.se). Summaries from previous years’ tests can be found here: https://familias.name/ESWG/

Membership of the ESWG

Membership of the English Speaking Working Group (ESWG) is open to all English speaking members of the ISFG and may be obtained by application to the secretary of the group. There will be no membership fee in addition to that payable to the ISFG. Please go to your personal profile and tick membership of the ESWG.

Aims of the English Speaking Working Group are

• the exchange of experience, quality control and stimulation of cooperation between the members;
• making available scientific knowledge and findings in the field of interest;
• organisation of scientific meetings ­– but such meetings will be held only after consultation with the ISFG.

Here, you find the constitution of the ESWG.

History of the ESWG

The ESWG was founded after the ISFH meeting 23-27 September 1979 in London. Here you find some more details about the history of the ESWG.

Board

A board administers the ESWG that is responsible for organising any meeting of the group. The board consists of the chairman, the secretary and the treasurer who are elected by vote for a period of two years. The board represents the working group.

Chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Publications of the Group

1. Syndercombe Court D, Lincoln P. A review of the 1991: 1994 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English-Speaking Working Group. In: Carracedo A, Brinkmann, Bär W (eds) Advances in Forensic Haemogenetics 6. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp. 683-5.
2. Bjerre A, Syndercombe Court D, Lincoln P, Morling N. A report of the 1995 and 1996 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Haemogenetics. Forensic Sci Int 1997; 90: 41-55.
3. Hallenberg C, Morling N. A report of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Sci Int 2001; 116: 23-33.
4. Hallenberg C, Morling N. A report of the 2000 and 2001 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Sci Int 2002; 129: 43-50.
5. Thomsen AR, Hallenberg C, Simonsen BT, Langkjær RB, Morling N. A report of the 2002-2008 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. FSI: Genetics 2009,3: 214-21.
6. Poulsen L, Friis SL, Hallenberg C, Simonsen BT, Morling N. A report of the 2009–2011 Paternity and Relationship Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Science International: Genetics 2014; 9: e1-2.