ISPCAN International Congress & Rise Up Policy Forum: Join 1,000+ child protection professionals in Melbourne, Australia August 24–27, 2026.

For every child

Connecting the dots across child protection

The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect — a global membership community breaking down silos to build innovative, child-centered solutions.

Multidisciplinary · Agile · Disruptive

Violence against children is not inevitable — it is preventable.

Global reach
100+ countries
INSPIRE national action plans
Experience
30+ years
of cross-country data
Regional Hubs
Seven
resources & partners near you
Next up
Melbourne 2026
Congress · Aug 24–27
Exciting developments

What's happening at ISPCAN

World Day for Child Protection Professionals – July 7

Honor Child Protection Heroes

Child protection professionals are global, multidisciplinary professionals who work in child abuse and neglect (CAN) prevention and treatment. They give 110% so that no child has to suffer.   ISPCAN was founded by Henry Kempe on 7/7/77 as a society for multidisciplinary professionals to find their community.  So, on this lucky day, we celebrate YOU for bringing hope and inspiration to children in their darkest hours.
Help us celebrate all the people who make this world better today. 

Annual Report 2025

We are excited to share that our 2025 Impact Report is now live.

We reflect with pride on a year defined by purpose, collaboration, and progress to end child abuse and neglect. In a time of growing global challenges, ISPCAN remained focused on one central aim: helping countries and professionals strengthen prevention-oriented, integrated systems that respond effectively to the needs of children and families.

Read the full report to learn about our public health approach to child protection, our global convening impact, and educational resources for members. 

We’re grateful to everyone who helped make this work possible.

CPP Special Issue Journal – Illuminating the Invisible

NEW! Cutting-Edge Projects from our ISPCAN Child Maltreatment Data Collection Working Group

Valid and reliable data is vital in supporting global monitoring and prevention efforts in ending violence against children. In 1992, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Working Group on Child Maltreatment Data Collection was founded to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to discuss challenges encountered in data collection on violence against children.

Over the past 30+ years, the Working Group has allowed for much needed interdisciplinary and cross-country discussion on topics such as the ethics of data collection, development of self-report measures, administrative data linkage and creating minimum datasets for national level monitoring of child abuse and neglect and its prevention, treatments, prosecution and effective management of cases from all sectors. This Special Issue elaborates on current challenges, opportunities and innovation in data collection on violence against children in a global context. We invite all researchers and practitioners who are engaged in data collection, analysis, linkage, management, policy development, and practice use to submit manuscripts.

Rise Up Policy Forum

A global policy community turning evidence into action for children

A new international community of practice for governments, policymakers, researchers and practitioners.

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Advance evidence-based child protection policies grounded in public-health principles

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Foster a community of learning across policymakers, practitioners, researchers, survivors and youth leaders

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Integrate research and practice into shareable, data-driven solutions

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Catalyze context-specific, scalable regional solutions

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Maximize resources and cross-sector collaboration in prevention and response

Impactful webinars

Learn from the field

A Decade of INSPIRE – Evidence in Action to End Violence Against Children

Webinar

Ten years ago, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and seven international partners launched INSPIRE: Seven Strategies to End Violence Against Children. Since 2016, INSPIRE has guided national action plans, donor investments, and multi-sectoral coordination across more than 100 countries, uniting governments, researchers, and practitioners around a shared vision: that violence against children is not inevitable—it is preventable.

In partnership with SVRI, The INSPIRE Working Group, WHO, UNICEF and other key partners, this webinar celebrated a decade of evidence in action and highlight the next phase of INSPIRE’s global implementation and research agenda. It brought together global leaders, researchers, and practitioners to discuss what the new evidence means for countries, sectors, and systems working to end violence against children.

Listen to the Recording! 

Presented By:

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Dr Greta Massetti
photo (c) John Cairns
Dr Madison Little
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Dr Alessandra Guedes
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Dr Daniela Ligiero
Square version - Headshot_Nicolas Makharashvili
Nicolas Makharashvili
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Mr Deogratias Yiga
Anirbandip Gain (002)
Mr. Anirbandip Gain
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Dr. Sabine Rakotomalala
Scientific & peer-reviewed journals

Evidence that moves the field

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Child Abuse & Neglect

Our mighty flagship journal — the definitive voice of the field.

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Child Protection & Practice

Launched in 2023 to address gaps in outcomes for children and families — challenging norms and sharing innovative practice from every region.

Knowledge Hub

Search or research any topic in child protection

The Knowledge Hub is the home for all of ISPCAN’s resources — grouped by topic so you can search, learn and go deeper on the questions that matter to your work.

Every resource is free and open to the public.
Regional Hubs

Connect with the work happening in your region

Regional Hubs bring together the organizations and individuals working across a shared region — and surface every ISPCAN resource that applies locally, so you can collaborate and act closer to home.

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Africa

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Europe

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Latin America

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Middle East & North Africa

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North America

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Pacific

Working Groups

Nine groups advancing global guidelines

Working Groups are where members collaborate by specialty — shaping international guidelines and best practice together. Looking for resources? Those live in the Knowledge Hub.

How we think

A public-health approach to ending violence against children

Violence against children is not inevitable — it is preventable. Three principles guide everything we do.

Multidisciplinary

Complex problems require integrated solutions. Our expertise, resources and networks make working smarter possible.

Agile

The world changes rapidly. Using data, we remove the stigma and face the realities — for every child.

Disruptive

By bringing diversity of thought to conventional thinking, we maximize the good we can do for children and families.

Nearly 50 years of work

A community of practice, research and support

From a single insight to a worldwide network — protecting children has always been the community’s responsibility.

1962

The Battered Child Syndrome

Henry Kempe reframes child abuse as a shared responsibility of the whole community.

1977

ISPCAN is founded

Established July 7, 1977 in Denver, Colorado — a community of practice across disciplines.

2025

Rise Up Policy Forum launches

A new international community of practice bringing data to action across policy and prevention.

Today

For every child

A global, multidisciplinary community bringing data to action — everywhere.

Community of learning

Become a member of ISPCAN

Join a worldwide network of professionals advancing the science, policy and practice of protecting children.

Ways to get involved

Child protection is our mission — and we need you

Partner Events

Get Engaged

Knowledge Hub

Congresses