Parenting
Webinar
Every Child Safe: Preventing Child Abuse Through Parenting Support
ISPCAN Resources
In partnership with the Global Parenting Initiative:
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, loving, and nurturing family environment. Yet, millions of children around the world continue to experience violence, neglect, and abuse — often within the very settings meant to protect them. Research shows that strong, supportive parenting is one of the most effective ways to prevent child abuse and promote children’s healthy development.
This webinar explored how parenting support can serve as a powerful tool for prevention of child abuse and maltreatment. Drawing on global evidence and practical experiences from diverse contexts, the session highlighted how evidence-based parenting programs are helping families build positive relationships, manage stress, and reduce the use of harsh discipline — thereby preventing abuse before it occurs.
The presentation also addressed the growing global movement to make parenting support accessible to all families, showcasing successful interventions and partnerships that have reached millions of parents and caregivers. Participants gained insights into what works, why it works, and how governments, civil society, and international organizations can collaborate to ensure every child is safe, supported, and able to thrive.
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Listen to the Webinar Recording
Webinar Date:
November 19, 2025
Region:
Global
Topics:
Evidence-based parenting interventions
Prevention
Scaling up programs
Digital safety
External Resources
Global Parenting Initiative
Parenting for Lifelong Health
Parenting on the Border
Effectiveness of a universal film intervention in reducing violence against children and increasing positive parenting among migrant and displaced caregivers from Myanmar: a community-based cluster randomised trial
Parenting on the border: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a trauma-informed, edutainment-enhanced intervention to improve parenting and mental health among migrant and displaced caregivers in Thailand
Learning Objectives:
This engaging and informative session is designed for policymakers, practitioners, educators, social workers, researchers, and other trusted adults who play a role in supporting families and safeguarding children. Participants will:
•Understand the links between positive parenting, child well-being, and the prevention of violence, neglect, and abuse.
•Explore global evidence on the effectiveness of parenting interventions in reducing child maltreatment and improving family outcomes.
•Identify practical, culturally adaptable approaches for supporting parents and caregivers in low-resource and high-stress settings.
•Learn how to integrate parenting support within national child protection, health, and education systems for sustainable impact.
•Examine real-world examples of policies and programs that have successfully scaled evidence-based parenting interventions.
•Strengthen partnerships across sectors to promote coordinated action that ensures every child grows up safe and nurtured.
•Understand the role that parents, caregivers and trusted adults can play in the protection of children online.
Presented By:
Professor Lucie Cluver, OBE
Professor of Child and Family Social Work at the University of Oxford
Lucie Cluver is Professor of Child and Family Social Work at the University of Oxford, where she became the University’s youngest ever female full Professor in 2015. She is jointly Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town since 2009. Lucie’s work started as a social worker in the townships of her home country of South Africa. Her research is focused on improving lives of children and adolescents through evidence for governments and major stakeholders. Lucie has published 280+ papers, including in The Lancet, Nature and Science. She is a scientific advisor to PEPFAR, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and the World Bank.
Lucie was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2025 for services to children’s wellbeing and to global public health. Other awards include the European Union Public Engagement in Research Award (2024), Fellowship of the Academy of Social Science (2023); the International AIDS Society Children’s Prize (2022) the UK Research and Innovation Impact Award (2021), the European Union Horizon Impact Award (2019), UNICEF’s Women in the HIV Response (2018), and the UK Economic and Social Research Council Outstanding International Impact Prize (2017).
Dr Godfrey Siu
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Child Health and Development at Makerere University, Uganda
Dr Godfrey Siu is the Facilitate Lead on the Global Parenting Initiative. He is a behavioural scientist with training in public health and medical anthropology and sociology, and currently works as Senior Lecturer in the Department of Child Health and Development at Makerere University, Uganda.
Dr Amanda Sim
Global Mental Health researcher and Implementation Scientist at The Offord Centre for Child Studies and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University
Dr Amanda Sim is a Co-Principal Investigator on the Parenting on the Thailand/Myanmar Border Study, and a Global Mental Health researcher and Implementation Scientist at The Offord Centre for Child Studies and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University. Dr Sim previously served as an ECR representative on the GPI Executive Team from 2023-2024. She brings 14 years of experience designing, implementing, and evaluating parenting and mental health interventions with conflict-affected communities in low- and middle-income countries including Thailand, Liberia, and Lebanon.
Dr Abigail Casas-Muñoz
Pediatrician and Researcher at the National Institute of Pediatrics (INP) in México City.
Aby Casas is a Pediatrician and Researcher at the National Institute of Pediatrics (INP) in México City. She is a professor of undergraduate and graduate studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Dr. Casas has worked as a clinical expert on Child Abuse and Neglect at the Comprehensive Care Clinic for Abused Children. She is co-founder and head of the Center for Advanced Studies on Violence and Prevention, her current secondment. Her research focuses on violence against children, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Children’s Human Rights. She has published several articles, book chapters, and books and given lectures and trainings. She has also worked to sensitize, train, and raise awareness among health personnel on violence against children. Her experience and work on the subject have led her to membership in various associations and societies, such as the Mexican Academy of Pediatrics and the Mexico City Comprehensive Protection of Children System. She is the chair of the Board of Directors of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN).
Dr Isang Awah
Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI) at the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention
Dr Isang Awah is a global advocacy and policy specialist with over 10 years’ multicultural experience across various contexts. She works at the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention where she serves as Head of Advocacy at the Global Parenting Initiative (GPI). In this role, she works with national governments, UN agencies and the NGO and FBO sectors to support the uptake of evidence-based, playful parenting programmes, and empowers and supports the GPI national research teams to lead on advocacy for the uptake of the Parenting for Lifelong Health programmes. Isang is also a member of the university-wide Oxford Policy Engagement Network Steering Group. She hosts a weekly radio programme on parenting on XL106.9FM on Tuesdays at 10.00 am (GMT+1).
Contributing Partners:
Global Parenting Initiative (GPI)