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

ISPCAN Melbourne Congress - Rise Up Policy Forum Program

August 27th, 2026

ISPCAN Melbourne Congress Logo with dates of August 24-27, 2026

The ISPCAN Rise Up Policy Forum is a global initiative to catalyse progress in advancing child protection through a public health and system strengthening approach. It brings together governments, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to build on momentum, develop domestic capacity, and translate into action the country pledges made at the Global Ministerial Conferences on Ending Violence Against Children by sharing knowledge, integrating research with practical policy responses, driving innovation, and advancing bold evidence-based solutions to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect more effectively across diverse regions and systems.

The Policy Forum serves as a community of practice, where countries can engage in ongoing learning, cross-sector collaboration, and the co-creation of child protection strategies. It supports system strengthening by aligning efforts with global frameworks such as INSPIRE, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Sustainable Development Goals, and providing actionable solutions grounded in local data and realities. Discussions also focus on how to improve the accountability and sustainability of national child protection systems.

The first international Rise Up Policy Forum took place at ISPCAN’s International Congress in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2025 attended by 55 government representatives, and the second one will be in Melbourne, Australia in August of 2026.

8:30 - 9:00 am

Coffee

9:00 - 10:00 am

Plenary Session

Opening Plenary

  • Welcome to the Rise Up community of practice and knowledge: interactive peer-to-peer exchange for collaborative deep learning and progress
  • Building capacity and investment in prevention and public health-orientated child protection systems in order to achieve our commitments to end child abuse and neglect

10:00 - 11:00 am

Plenary Session

Effective governance and multisectoral coordination

Building a preventative and coordinated child protection system in Kiribati

Kiribati Ministry of Women, Youth, Sport and Social Affairs
Ministry of Women, Youth, Sport and Social Affairs, Government of Kiribati

Primary Pillar(s): A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

The cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and SOS Children’s Villages Armenia in the development of alternative care

SOS Children's Villages Armenia
SOS Children's Villages Armenia

Primary Pillar(s): Child, survivor and community participation

From silos to a system: Kenya’s cross-sector coordination and collaboration model on access to justice with children

Kenya National Council of Justice
National Council on the Administration of Justice, Government of Kenya

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

From Fragmentation to Coherence: How Education-Centred Cross-Sector Practice Can Prevent Child Harm

NorthAble Matapuna Hauora
Ministry of Education, Government of Aotearoa New Zealand
Te Ako Manaaki
Integrated Response Framework

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

Beyond the Kantian Barrier: A Ta’ṣīl (Authentic Rooting) Approach to Decolonizing Social Work and Sustaining Care for Adverse Childhood Experiences Survivors in Brunei Darussalam

MOH Logo Brunei
Ministry Of Health, Government of Brunei Darusssalam
SS Hospital Logo Brunei
Suri Seri Begawan Hospital
UNISSA Logo Brunei
Univerisity Islam Sultan Sharif Ali

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

11:00 - 11:30 am

Coffee

11:30 - 12:30 pm

A costed and funded national action plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

Making Child Death Review happen: solutions to the challenge of developing population-based child death review programmes

University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham, UK
Public Health Wales
Public Health Wales, Government of Wales
Association of Child Death Review Professionals
Association of Child Death Review Professionals
Taiwan CDR
Taiwan Child Death Review

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

What Is the Child, in the Eyes of the System?

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Impact Initiative
DSS
Department of Social Services, Government of Australia
AHRC40_HORIZ-COL
Australian Human Rights Commission
AustGov-Commissioner
National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

Making Practice Visible: How Aotearoa New Zealand Uses a National Practice Framework and Public-Facing Practice Centre to Build Trust and Strengthen Child Protection Systems

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Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children, Government of Aotearoa New Zealand

Primary Pillar(s): A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

Multisectoral Briefing: Developing a National Strategic Plan (NSP) on preventing and mitigating the harmful effects of Adolescent Pregnancy in South Africa

Women, youth & persons with disabilities
Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Government of South Africa
GIZ - Logo
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ): Violence Prevention for Peaceful and Inclusive Communities Programme (VPPIC).

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation, Governance and multi-sectoral coordination , A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

Interactive lab for funding child protection: • Mobilizing Funding: Translating investment case evidence into effective budget advocacy • Turning numbers into decisions: costing tools for child protection and social service systems.

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Cornerstone
Maestral-Logo-Black-no-background
Maestral

Primary Pillar(s): A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

Addressing the crisis of youth ‘aging out’ of care in Canada

NCYICA full name logo
National Council Of Youth In Care Advocates (NCYICA)

Primary Pillar(s): A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

12:30 - 1:30 pm

Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 pm

Data-driven and evidence-based solutions

From Policy to Practice: A Benchmarking Workshop on Universal Parenting Support to Prevent Violence Against Children

UNICEF #2
UNICEF
PLH Logo_Primary full colour square
Parenting for Lifelong Health

Primary Pillar(s): Data and evidence, Policy and legislation, Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

Strengthening Legal and Policy Frameworks to Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse — Lessons from practice-based knowledge (PbK) in Kenya and the Philippines

terre des hommes netherlands
Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL)
Kenya National Council of Justice
National Council on the Administration of Justice, Government of Kenya
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The Safer Futures Hub
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Bidlisiw Foundation
Bayan Ng Santa Fe Philippines logo
Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, Province of Cebu, Government of the Philippines

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation, Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

Mobilizing Faith Leaders to Support Government Priorities in Ending Family Violence Against Children: Evidence and Opportunities from Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe

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Fuller Seminary
World Vision Kenya
World Vision Kenya
Kenya Ministry Gender Culture Childrens Services
The Violence Against Children Committee (VACC), Department of Children’s Services, Government of Kenya
World Vision Ghana
World Vision Ghana
World Vision Zimbabwe
World Vision Zimbabwe
Leaders of Africa Institute
Leaders of Africa Institute

Primary Pillar(s): Data and evidence

Artificial intelligence in child and family services: measuring impact and strengthening early intervention systems

Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare
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Anglicare Victoria
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Today

Primary Pillar(s): Data and evidence

From Rights on Paper to Change in Practice: Using GlobalChild Indicators for System‑Strengthening and Data‑Driven Child Protection

UNB logo
University of New Brunswick
HIGH RESOLUTION GlobalChild logo
GlobalChild

Primary Pillar(s): Data and evidence

Safeguarding 5.0: Data-Driven Prevention and Human-Centered Resilience Building in Child Protection Across Families, Communities, and Institutions

Dept social welfare malaysia
Department of Social Welfare, Government of Malaysia

Primary Pillar(s): A continuum of prevention and response services, Child, survivor and community participation

2:45 - 3:45 pm

Policy and legislation

Strengthening system responses to harmful sexual behaviours across ASEAN member states – co-creating guidance to address harmful sexual behaviours in a digital age

UNICEF #2
UNICEF Child Protection Centre of Excellence

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

Caring for the Carers: The Case for a Cross-Sector Approach to Kinship Care

Family for every child
Family for Every Child
lumos_logo
Lumos
Voice Of Children Logo
Voice of Children

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

‘Hubbing’ Our Way Out of Crisis: Rethinking Child Protection Through Upstream Support

Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Murdoch Children's Research Institute
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International Association of Family Support Network
AHRC40_HORIZ-COL
Australian Human Rights Commission
National Child and Family Hubs Network  Australia
National Child and Family Hubs Network 

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

Child Protection in a Borderless Digital World: Co-Designing Child-Centred Privacy Policy

childfundaus-logo
ChildFund Australia
ASEAN logo
ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children
University of Canberra
University of Canberra

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

Child Welfare in a Changing America – National Policy and Local Impact

CWLA_logo (002)
Child Welfare League of America
Fairfax County (Virginia) Department of Family Services, United States of America

Primary Pillar(s): Policy and legislation

3:45 - 4:00 pm

Coffee

4:00 - 5:00 pm

A continuum of child protection prevention and response services

Innovative approaches to funding child protection: principles and country case studies for improving efficiency and expanding the funding base

Primary Pillar(s): A National Action Plan, capacity building and scaled solutions

Redesigning Intervention Pathways for Infants and Young Parents at risk of child protection reports.

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Brave Foundation
impact-Initiative_primary_logo (1)
Impact initiative
Victoria-State-Government-logo-black
Victoria State Government, Australia

Primary Pillar(s): A continuum of prevention and response services

Bridging Children’s Care Reform and Violence Prevention: Putting political commitments into practice

Maestral International logo
Maestral International
960 x 640 GOV White
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Government of the United Kingdom
Transforming Children_s Care Collaborative
Transforming Children's Care Collaborative

Primary Pillar(s): A continuum of prevention and response services

Rising up for children in war: strengthening governance and multi sectoral coordination for child protection in Sudan

RCDO
Rural Community Development Organization (RCDO), Sudan
Ministry of health sudan logo
Ministry of Health, Government of Sudan

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

4:00 - 5:00 pm

Child, survivor and community participation in solutions

Integrating Religious Authority into Formal National Child Protection Systems

Republic of Kenya
State Department for Children Services, Government of Kenya
UNICEF #2
UNICEF
Inter Religious Council of Kenya
Inter-Religious Council of Kenya

Primary Pillar(s): Governance and multi-sectoral coordination

5:00 - 5:30 pm

Plenary Session

Closing Plenary

  • Reflecting on the forum: Implications for research, policy and practice: Three perspectives on the path forward
  • Highlights, connections, implications, solutions, actions

Additional Information