Rise Up Policy Forum Will Convene 30+ Governments in Melbourne to Build Sustainable Child Protection Systems

The learning and policy forum brings government representatives and leading experts together to translate evidence into coordinated action to prevent child abuse and neglect

July 20, 2026 — MELBOURNE, Australia — The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) today announced details of its second annual international Rise Up Policy Forum, a one-day learning forum taking place on August 27, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. 

Held the day after the 2026 ISPCAN Congress (August 24-26) and co-organized with Australian Childhood Foundation, the forum is designed to help governments build sustainable and effective child protection systems by translating data into coordinated action and policy. More than 300 representatives from 30+ governments and leading experts from across the field are expected to attend.

The policy forum will also precede the second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in November 2026, providing governments with a valuable working session in advance of the upcoming diplomatic milestone. 

At the foundation of the forum is a six-pillar public health framework defining what a sustainable child protection system requires: 

1. Effective governance and multisectoral coordination
2. Funding, a national action plan, capacity building and scaled solutions
3. Strong legislation and policy
4. A continuum of child protection prevention and response services
5. Data-driven and evidence-based solutions
6. Child, survivor and community participation in solutions 

This year’s forum program includes 27 interactive sessions and 14 country case studies drawn from governments and practitioners worldwide, alongside evidence-based review sessions and policy briefs capturing session insights.

Sessions address many of the most critical child protection topics facing governments today, ranging from online and digital safety and funding policy solutions to multisectoral coordination and prevention. Top sessions include:

• Strengthening legal and policy frameworks to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse, drawing on experience from Kenya and the Philippines
• How Aotearoa New Zealand applies a National Practice Framework and public-facing practice centre to build trust in child protection systems
• Strengthening governance and multisectoral coordination for children in conflict-affected Sudan
• An interactive lab to help country teams build investment cases for child protection using investment and costing tools, alongside sessions on innovative financing approaches. 
• South Africa’s work on preventing the harmful effects of adolescent pregnancy. 
• How the UK Government Global Charter is bridging children’s care reform and violence prevention. 
• Mobilizing faith leaders in Ghana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe to support governments in ending family violence against children.

There will be country presentations from Kiribati, Malaysia, Kenya, Armenia, Brunei Darussalam, Australia, Canada, United States, and many others.

Policy briefs will be developed to capture insights from each session, giving government representatives and policymakers actionable materials to carry back to their systems. ISPCAN has already released six policy briefs from the 2025 Rise Up Policy Forum.

“The evidence on what works to prevent child abuse exists, but knowledge alone does not protect children; governments must be empowered to act on it, and that is precisely what the Rise Up Policy Forum is designed to do,” said Pragathi Tummala, CEO of ISPCAN. “When we bring more than 30 governments into the same room, grounded in real country experience and evidence-based tools, we create the conditions for sustained, coordinated action that can change outcomes for children at scale.”

“As we continue to support global efforts to prevent violence against children and reform care systems, forums like this help strengthen partnerships, spark new ideas, and build the momentum needed to ensure every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, loving, and nurturing family environment,” said Wai-Kit Ho, Policy Advisor for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), one of the organizations hosting a session at Rise Up Policy Forum. 

The forum is designed for government representatives, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working across the child protection field. Registration information and the full program are now available at https://ispcan.org/congresses/melbourne-2026/.

About the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) is the world’s leading global membership organization dedicated to improving the prevention, detection, and response to child abuse and neglect through a public health approach. With a multidisciplinary network of professionals across more than 190 countries, ISPCAN connects research, practice, and policy to strengthen systems of care and protect children worldwide. For more information, visit ispcan.org.

About Australian Childhood Foundation

Australian Childhood Foundation is a leading national organisation dedicated to the safety, wellbeing and healing of children who have experienced trauma, abuse and neglect. For more information visit childhood.org.au.