What We Do
Established in 2005, the CPC Learning Network promotes innovative research, nurtures communities of learning, and builds the next generation of researchers and advocates for children and families.
Research
We develop innovative tools and methodologies to better measure children’s care, protection, and welfare. These methods and tools range from program-level evaluations to broader research methods focused at the policy level. Read our research here.
Advocacy
In generating such evidence, the CPC Learning Network also advocates at multiple levels to ensure the inclusion of such evidence in the development and implementation of policies and programs that allow children to thrive. Visit the Policy and Guidance page for more information.
Training and Curriculum Development
Throughout these processes, we build capacity to strengthen the protection, care, and welfare of children through research and advocacy training and mentorships with academics, practitioners, and policymakers throughout the network. The CPC Learning Network has also supported the development of child protection and family welfare curricula for integration into university settings in settings around the globe, from Sri Lanka to Liberia to Uganda. Visit the Engaging Southern Universities page.
Convening and Sharing
The CPC Learning Networks facilitates the sharing and dissemination of knowledge through bi-annual conferences, regularly webinars, and country-level learning events. We also publish monthly newsletters and organize symposia.
Why We Do It
There is a notable lack of evidence about which policies and programs most effectively protect children and enable them to reach their full developmental potential. Much of what we know is anecdotal or collected through methods that are neither rigorous nor reliable. The difficulty in capturing data about children’s care, protection, and well-being stems from the sensitive nature of family and kinship relationships, shame associated with issues of violence and exploitation, and children’s ever-evolving capacities to express themselves.
This lack of evidence has implications for how effective policymakers and practitioners can be in ensuring that children reach their full potential. A weak evidence base creates inefficient resource flows by allowing for the continuation of ineffective practice. Practitioners and leaders hoping to provide the care and protection necessary for children to thrive deliver services without understanding of the impact of their work. Limited knowledge also holds back our ability to make the case for the care and protection of children at the national and global policy levels.