ISPCAN

10/14/2026

We are incredibly proud of the impact of each ISPCAN Congress. Overwhelmingly, attendees told us this event will help advance their important work in child protection.

- 93% said they will connect with delegates after Congress.
- 94% said they will use best practice examples from Congress to improve their work.
- 95% said they will use the research presented to inform their profession.

We’re already planning our 2027 Congress, and if you work in child protection, we want you to be part of it.

➡️ Join our interest list today for Lugano: https://ispcan.org/congresses/lugano-2027/

10/12/2026

🌏 We asked Rise Up Policy Forum participants to share the insights they are carrying forward from Melbourne.

First up is a perspective from Philip D. Jaffé, who argues that protecting children's rights starts with the budget. That means practitioners must move beyond service delivery. They need to cost their proposals, shape budget decisions alongside finance experts and children, and show that investing in children is both a legal obligation and a strategic, ethical choice.

📖 Read the full story here:

Reflection on ISPCAN's Rise Up Policy Forum in Melbourne and why protecting children's rights starts with funding.

10/09/2026

The biggest takeaways from ISPCAN Congress 2026 in Melbourne – direct from attendees.

Share what you learned in the comments. 👇

10/07/2026

ISPCAN’s second international Rise Up Policy Forum brought together 350 multisectoral experts — including 69 government delegates from 40 countries — for a single, intensive day of exchange across 25 mastermind sessions.

Opening plenary: ISPCAN CEO Pragathi Tummala set the tone, arguing that child protection is a "winnable battle" when treated as a population-level public health crisis, calling for a shift from a reactive, project-based response toward a financed, coordinated, prevention-oriented system — built around six pillars: data, policy, governance, continuum of services, scale, and participation.

Spotlight provocations from government, police, faith, funder and research perspectives — from Finland's Marjo Malja questioning whether "we really want algorithms raising our children," to INTERPOL's Mark Beavan naming child protection's "connection problem" over its knowledge problem, to World Vision's call to work through faith networks rather than around them.

Funding and the investment case was a priority theme running through the day, with four dedicated sessions and the launch of new ISPCAN tools for costing the economic impact of child abuse and neglect and the benefits of prevention — timely given that violence against children is estimated to cost over $7 trillion globally (8%+ of GDP), while fewer than 1 in 4 countries with a national action plan have fully funded it.

Explore our Rise Up Policy Forum to download resources and tools. https://ispcan.org/rise-up-policy-forum/melbourne-2026-recap/

10/05/2026

📘 NEW ISPCAN HANDBOOK: A Global Resource on Child Abuse & Neglect

We’re excited to share the ISPCAN International Handbook of Child Abuse and Neglect, a comprehensive new resource exploring the global landscape of child maltreatment.

In partnership, with Elsevier, ISPCAN created this handbook bringing together global knowledge, research, case studies, prevention and intervention strategies, and emerging approaches to understanding and addressing child maltreatment with 39 chapters, 99 contributors based in 30 countries.

🌍 Inside, you’ll find:
• A worldwide examination of risks, consequences, and surveillance
• Case studies highlighting diverse challenges and responses
• Evidence-informed prevention and intervention approaches
• Emerging trends shaping research, policy, and practice

Designed for researchers, academics, policymakers, and health and social care professionals, this handbook helps build a shared language and deeper understanding of one of the most complex challenges facing children worldwide.

A valuable resource for anyone working to create safer futures for children.

Pre-Order your copy today: https://shop.elsevier.com/books/the-ispcan-international-handbook-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/lalor/978-0-443-36735-9

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10/01/2026

We asked: What inspired you at ISPCAN Congress 2026?

If you were there, share your favorite moment from . 👇

09/30/2026

📣 Free Webinar: Kinship Care – Recognized in Policy, Invisible in Practice

📅 Tuesday, October 6 | 14:00–15:00 UTC

Following the “Caring for the Carers” session at the Melbourne Rise Up Policy Forum, ISPCAN / International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect is delighted to have worked with our partners at Family for Every Child to develop a new Rise Up Policy Brief highlighting kinship care as a critical, preventative, and cost-effective strategy for children and child protection.

Join Family for Every Child as they launch the Policy Brief during Kinship Care Week 2026 at the webinar: “Kinship Care: Visible in Policy, Invisible in Practice”

🌍 Discover key findings and recommendations for strengthening support for kinship care around the world.

🗣️ Hosted in English, with Spanish and Portuguese interpretation.

👉 Register now: https://www.changemakersforchildren.community/gkcw26-policymap-webinar

As part of 2026, we're running a number of free webinars, and you're invited.

6th of October, 14.00-15.00 UTC:
"Kinship Care: Recognised in Policy, Invisible in Practice"

A global webinar launching our new research on kinship care policies across 21 countries, sharing key findings, promising practices and five recommendations for creating stronger support for children and kinship caregivers.

Enrol here 🔗 https://buff.ly/pCStc2H

7th of October, 13.00-14.00 UTC:
"International Kinship Care: Case Studies from Brazil and Canada"

A free webinar exploring international kinship care, the challenges and opportunities of cross-border family care, and practical lessons for supporting children and relatives across borders.

Sign up for free 🔗 https://buff.ly/RWPU2sf

We'll see you online!

09/28/2026

Last month in Melbourne, Australia, the ISPCAN Congress brought together 1,200 of the brightest minds in child protection – professionals from every sector, representing 80 countries.

What made this Congress especially unique were two special tracks led by our local partner, Australian Childhood Foundation. The Youth Stream put young people directly alongside researchers and practitioners, and the First Nations Stream spotlighted the important evidence and work happening in Australia.

Plus, our second annual Rise Up Policy Forum launched new solutions to help professionals build political will and investment to support coordinated action.

It was a Congress to remember with incredible posters, wellness events, and opportunities to network and experience the culture of Australia.

➡️ Explore all the Congress takeaways in our recap website: https://ispcan.org/congresses/melbourne-recap/

08/28/2026

🌏The ISPCAN Congress culminated in Melbourne with the second annual Rise Up Policy Forum.

Why it matters:
The evidence on what works to protect children already exists — the real challenge is equipping governments to act on it. Rise Up exists to close that gap.

Representatives from 30 governments came together for a full day of working sessions — timed in advance of November's Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, where the world's next round of commitments will be made.

Highlights included:
➡️ 27 interactive sessions and 14 country case studies, from Kenya to Kiribati to Canada
➡️ Real investment cases and financing strategies governments can bring home
➡️ Debut of ISPCAN’s new advocacy tool kit to build political will
➡️ Launch of ISPCAN’s two new tools on calculating the ROI and Cost of Inaction in any country

“Building political will and funding child protection has to be more than 0.2% of a nation's budget. Let’s change that instead of complaining about it.” — Pragathi Tummala, ISPCAN CEO

Thank you to the 30+ governments who joined us for Rise Up!

ISPCAN Congress 2027 will come to Lugano, Switzerland. Stay turned for more!

08/26/2026

🌏 Day 3 at the ISPCAN Congress in Melbourne

Three days of keynotes, workshops, and deep conversations wrapped today. Up next is the Rise Up Policy Forum with a focus on a community of learning for governments and exploring practical solutions from across the world.

🎤 Keynote Highlights:
✨ Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC (Australia) made an important call to Congress: use your influence to align policy, practice, and investment with the community-led solutions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities already know work.
✨ Prof. Sigrid James (Germany) shared lessons learned from cross-national comparisons of child residential care. Her takeaway: comparing systems across borders deepens our understanding of how residential care can better support children's rights, wellbeing, and life chances.

The Congress Youth Stream held a special youth-led conversation with Children’s Commissioners and Advocates from across Australia, a former Children’s Commissioner from Aotearoa New Zealand, and the young people they work alongside to explore who gets to decide what safety and protection look like — and what changes when children and young people have power in those decisions.

🏢 Delegates also visited V***A, Australia's largest Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation, marking 50 years of self-determined, community-led care for Aboriginal children and families.

All week, delegates have enjoyed a wellness area with a therapy dog named Louie, massages, and other relaxing activities.

Share what you are learning at .