Applications are now open for the 2027 G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training programme, an intensive, one-week learning opportunity delivered by the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.
The programme is designed for experienced, mid-career professionals working to prevent and respond to child abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect. It brings together cross-sectoral country teams representing government, international organisations and local civil society.
Selected teams will attend the training from June 7 to June 11, 2027, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
All Harvard University course fees will be covered for admitted participants through support from the G. Barrie Landry Fund for Child Protection Professional Training and UNICEF USA. However, participants remain responsible for their travel, accommodation, living expenses, visa arrangements and meals that are not included as part of the training.
Applications must be submitted by December 1, 2026. Importantly, individual applications are not accepted. Each application must be submitted by a three-member, cross-sectoral country team.
The programme details and deadline are confirmed in the official Harvard FXB programme announcement and the official 2027 programme brochure.
G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Training 2027 at a Glance
| Programme detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Programme name | G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training |
| Organiser | FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University |
| Academic location | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
| Training venue | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Programme format | One-week, intensive, on-site professional training |
| Training dates | June 7–11, 2027 |
| Daily schedule | Monday midday through Friday midday |
| Target participants | Mid-career child protection professionals |
| Application structure | Three-member, cross-sectoral country teams |
| Preferred team composition | Government, international organisation and local NGO representatives |
| Cohort size | 30 participants |
| Number of teams | 10 country teams |
| Language | English |
| Tuition | All Harvard University course fees covered |
| Travel and accommodation | Not covered |
| Application deadline | December 1, 2026 |
| Admission decision | During or before the week of January 25, 2027 |
| Application method | Request an application form by email |
About the G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training Programme
The G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training is an on-site course for professionals who work to protect children from abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect.
Participants may work for:
- Government ministries, departments or agencies
- International organisations
- United Nations bodies or development organisations
- Local or national nongovernmental organisations
- Child protection and social welfare institutions
- Human rights organisations
- Public health, education or justice-sector bodies
- Organisations working with displaced, vulnerable or marginalised children
The programme is based on the understanding that risks facing children are diverse and interconnected. Children may experience displacement, child labour, abuse, neglect, exploitation, early marriage, violence, inadequate care, discrimination or the consequences of armed conflict and natural disasters.
Regardless of their legal status or personal circumstances, children have rights to health, education, protection and access to justice. Realising these rights requires more than the work of a single organisation or government department.
Effective child protection depends on cooperation among:
- Social welfare agencies
- Health institutions
- Education systems
- Justice-sector institutions
- Civil society organisations
- Community-based organisations
- International development partners
- Human rights institutions
- Policymakers and legislators
- Child protection researchers and practitioners
The programme therefore promotes an integrated and multisectoral approach in which government and civil-society actors work together to build and maintain effective national child protection systems.
Purpose of the Training
The training seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of child protection challenges while strengthening the leadership, negotiation and coalition-building skills required to improve national protection systems.
It is not designed solely as a theoretical classroom course. Participants must work together on an actual child protection problem from their own country and develop practical options that can be applied after the programme.
The training combines:
- Academic research
- International human rights principles
- Child-development science
- Evidence-based advocacy
- Leadership development
- Negotiation techniques
- Policy analysis
- Legal and institutional frameworks
- Multisectoral collaboration
- Case-study development
- Peer learning between countries
- Individualised feedback from specialists
The programme aims to help professionals connect academic knowledge with real institutional and policy challenges.
Main Goals of the Programme
1. Understanding the Effects of Violence and Exploitation on Children
Participants will examine how abuse, violence and exploitation can affect children’s:
- Emotional development
- Intellectual development
- Social development
- Physical and psychological well-being
- Ability to learn and participate in education
- Family and community relationships
- Long-term health and life opportunities
The programme also examines the traumatic effects of armed conflict, war and natural disasters on children.
2. Learning Multidisciplinary Child Protection Approaches
Participants will be introduced to multidisciplinary approaches for preventing and responding to child-specific harms.
These approaches may draw on:
- Public health
- Social work
- Education
- Psychology
- Law and justice
- Human rights
- Public policy
- Data and research
- Community development
- Digital technology
The programme emphasises that complex child protection problems cannot usually be resolved by one professional discipline or institution acting alone.
3. Understanding Legal and Human Rights Principles
The training introduces participants to legal principles and analytical frameworks relevant to child protection, including those based on international human rights standards.
Participants will consider how laws, policies and institutions can be used to prevent harm, protect children and provide appropriate responses when violations occur.
4. Examining Effective Child Protection Systems
Participants will study the components required for a well-functioning child protection system.
These components may include:
- Appropriate laws and regulations
- Clearly defined institutional responsibilities
- Skilled social-service professionals
- Case-management and referral systems
- Reliable administrative information
- Sustainable public financing
- Coordination across government departments
- Participation by civil society and communities
- Accountability and monitoring arrangements
- Child-sensitive justice procedures
- Prevention and early-intervention mechanisms
Participants will assess how these components work together and why gaps in one area can weaken an entire national protection system.
5. Strengthening Data and Evidence-Based Advocacy
The programme will introduce participants to data sources used in child protection systems and the challenges involved in developing reliable information.
Participants will consider how evidence can be used to:
- Identify the scale and nature of child protection problems
- Understand which children are most at risk
- Design appropriate interventions
- Monitor institutional performance
- Evaluate whether policies are working
- Advocate for legal or administrative reforms
- Secure financial and political support
- Hold relevant institutions accountable
The course also explores ways digital solutions may help address child protection challenges.
6. Building Leadership and Negotiation Skills
The training will help participants develop leadership, negotiation and coalition-building skills for advancing child protection reforms.
These capabilities are essential when reforms require cooperation across multiple areas of government, including:
- Education
- Health
- Social services
- Justice
- Public finance
- Local government
- Disaster management
- Digital regulation
Participants will examine how professionals can build agreement, manage competing priorities and secure institutional support for child protection initiatives.
7. Developing Country-Specific Solutions
A central objective is to help each participating team develop practical options for strengthening its country’s child protection system.
Teams will use the knowledge gained during the course to improve the quality of national child protection policies, strategies or plans of action.
Who Should Apply?
The programme is intended for mid-career professionals working in fields where child protection is a central or important concern.
Suitable applicants may include:
- Child protection specialists
- Social welfare professionals
- Government policymakers
- Human rights practitioners
- Public health professionals
- Social workers
- Education-sector professionals
- Justice-sector officials
- Programme managers
- Policy and advocacy specialists
- Researchers
- International development professionals
- NGO leaders
- Professionals supporting vulnerable or displaced children
Applicants should already be involved in child protection or a closely connected field. They should also be committed to strengthening their leadership skills and working collaboratively across institutional and professional boundaries.
No particular university degree, academic discipline, age limit or minimum number of years of experience is stated. However, the programme is explicitly designed for experienced, mid-career professionals rather than students or entry-level applicants.
Applications Must Be Submitted by Country Teams
One of the most important eligibility conditions is the country-team requirement.
Applications must be submitted by a three-member, cross-sectoral team representing the same country. Applications from individuals will not be considered.
The preferred team composition is:
- One professional employed by a government agency
- One professional employed by an international organisation
- One professional employed by a local NGO
This composition is described as preferred rather than an absolute requirement. Nevertheless, teams should reflect the programme’s multisectoral purpose and demonstrate how different institutions can work together on a common national child protection challenge.
A strong team should include members who:
- Represent different institutional perspectives
- Have relevant child protection responsibilities
- Can work collaboratively before, during and after the training
- Possess sufficient institutional knowledge to analyse the selected problem
- Can influence policies, programmes or professional practice
- Are able to apply the programme’s lessons in their home country
An organisation should not submit a single employee independently. It must coordinate with professionals from other sectors to form a complete three-person country team.
English-Language Requirement
Fluency in written and spoken English is required for all three team members.
Participants must be able to:
- Understand lectures and technical discussions
- Participate actively in group sessions
- Read programme materials
- Discuss complex child protection issues
- Prepare and deliver presentations
- Work with professionals from different countries
- Respond to questions from Harvard-affiliated specialists
- Write and refine their team’s case study
No English-language test such as IELTS or TOEFL is mentioned. However, every applicant must possess sufficient practical English fluency to participate fully in the programme.
Programme Curriculum
The course is organised thematically, with related subjects distributed across the training week.
Examples of previous sessions include:
- Leveraging Science to Protect the Developing Brain from Violence, Abuse and Neglect
- Engaging and Strengthening the Social Service Workforce
- Climate Change, Disasters and Child Well-Being
- Negotiation for the Child Protection System
- Child Protection in a Digital World
- Measurement and Evidence Generation in the Child Protection System
- Juvenile Justice: Practice, Research, Policy and Advocacy
- Social and Structural Inequalities and Children’s Health
The exact 2027 timetable may differ from previous years. These subjects are presented by Harvard as examples of past course sessions rather than a confirmed session-by-session schedule for 2027.
Developing-Brain Science and Childhood Trauma
The course examines scientific evidence concerning children’s development and the effects of violence, abuse and neglect.
This area helps participants understand why early exposure to harm may have lasting consequences and why timely prevention and intervention are essential.
Participants may consider how evidence from child-development science can inform:
- Prevention programmes
- Social-service practice
- Health interventions
- Education policy
- Justice-sector responses
- Family support
- Community-based protection measures
Strengthening the Social-Service Workforce
A functioning child protection system requires trained, supported and appropriately distributed professionals.
The course examines how countries can strengthen the workforce responsible for:
- Identifying children at risk
- Assessing protection concerns
- Managing individual cases
- Coordinating referrals
- Supporting families
- Responding to violence
- Monitoring children in alternative care
- Connecting children with health, education and justice services
This subject is particularly important for countries facing shortages of qualified social workers or fragmented professional standards.
Climate Change, Disasters and Child Well-Being
Climate change and disasters can expose children to displacement, interrupted schooling, family separation, exploitation, violence and inadequate access to health and protection services.
The programme considers how child protection systems can prepare for and respond to these risks.
This may be relevant for teams working in countries affected by:
- Flooding
- Extreme heat
- Drought
- Severe storms
- Earthquakes
- Food insecurity
- Conflict-related displacement
- Climate-related migration
Child Protection in a Digital World
Digital technologies create both opportunities and risks for children.
The programme examines ways technology may support protection systems while also considering threats such as online exploitation, harmful content, privacy violations and technology-facilitated abuse.
Participants will consider how digital tools can contribute to:
- Data collection
- Case-management systems
- Referral mechanisms
- Professional training
- Public education
- Reporting protection concerns
- Evidence-based advocacy
Measurement and Evidence Generation
Child protection decisions require credible information. However, many countries lack consistent administrative data, coordinated monitoring systems or reliable evidence about the scale of abuse and exploitation.
The programme explores how participants can improve data collection, measurement and evidence generation while recognising ethical, privacy and safeguarding considerations.
Juvenile Justice and Child-Sensitive Legal Systems
The course may examine how justice institutions interact with children who are victims, witnesses or accused of offences.
Participants may consider how legal systems can uphold children’s rights while ensuring that procedures are appropriate for their age, needs and circumstances.
Social and Structural Inequalities
Poverty, discrimination, social exclusion and unequal access to services can increase children’s exposure to harm.
The programme considers how structural inequalities affect children’s health, development and access to protection.
The Country Case-Study Requirement
A defining feature of the programme is its practical country-team case study.
Before travelling to Harvard, each team must work collaboratively to prepare a case study describing a genuine child protection challenge in its country.
The case study should outline:
- The child protection problem
- The groups of children affected
- The institutional and legal context
- Existing national responses
- Weaknesses or gaps in the current system
- Relevant government and civil-society stakeholders
- Possible solutions the team wants to explore
Training organisers will provide admitted participants with preparation materials to guide the development of their case study.
Each team presents its initial case at the beginning of the training week.
Examples of Previous Case-Study Topics
Past teams have examined specific child protection concerns such as:
- Child marriage
- Alternative care
- Violence against children
Other teams have focused on broader systemic problems, including:
- Inadequate legal frameworks
- Insufficient social-service workforces
- Weak coordination between institutions
- Lack of reliable child protection administrative data
These examples demonstrate that teams may focus on either a defined harm affecting children or an institutional weakness affecting the wider protection system.
Refining the Case Study at Harvard
Throughout the training week, country teams use research, classroom discussions and concepts presented by instructors to improve their case studies.
The process allows teams to:
- Reassess their understanding of the problem
- Identify missing evidence
- Examine the roles of different institutions
- Compare their experience with other countries
- Consider alternative policy options
- Improve the practicality of proposed solutions
- Develop a more coordinated approach
- Strengthen their advocacy strategy
On the final day, each country team presents its conclusions and proposed options to a panel of Harvard-affiliated child protection specialists.
The panel provides individualised feedback and suggestions to each team.
Benefits of the Country-Team Model
The country-team model helps ensure that programme learning is not limited to individual professional development.
By bringing together representatives from government, international organisations and local NGOs, the programme seeks to strengthen national collaboration and increase the likelihood that participants can implement or advocate for solutions after returning home.
The model may help participants:
- Understand the perspectives of other institutions
- Build professional relationships across sectors
- Identify overlapping responsibilities
- Reduce fragmentation
- Develop more realistic policy proposals
- Establish a foundation for future national cooperation
- Translate international evidence into locally appropriate reforms
Programme Impact and Participant Feedback
Harvard reports that 100% of surveyed previous participants said the programme met or exceeded their expectations.
Past participants have highlighted:
- Access to leading child protection specialists
- Learning with professionals from diverse countries and backgrounds
- The balance between evidence and practical application
- Leadership development
- Opportunities to examine national system strengths and weaknesses
- Increased awareness of challenges facing children in other countries
- Stronger advocacy and communication skills
- A more holistic understanding of child protection
The programme was also featured in a UNICEF story concerning efforts to strengthen child protection systems.
Cohort Size
Enrollment is limited to:
- 30 individual participants
- 10 country teams
- Three participants per team
The small cohort is designed to support close interaction, team-based work and individualised feedback.
Because only 10 country teams can be selected, applicants should demonstrate clearly why their proposed case study is important and how participation could strengthen national capacity.
Training Dates and Schedule
The 2027 programme will take place from:
June 7 to June 11, 2027
The course runs from Monday midday until Friday midday.
The on-site format means participants must be physically present in Boston for the training week. The programme is not advertised as an online or hybrid course.
Training Location
The programme will be held at:
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
The official brochure provides the following FXB Center contact address:
651 Huntington Avenue
7th Floor
Boston, MA 02115
United States
The listed international telephone number is:
+1 617 432 0656
Tuition Coverage
All Harvard University course fees will be covered for admitted participants through the support of:
- The G. Barrie Landry Fund for Child Protection Professional Training
- UNICEF USA
This means selected participants will not be required to pay the tuition charged for the Harvard training itself.
However, this opportunity should not be described as completely funded because several major expenses remain the responsibility of participants.
Costs Participants Must Pay
Participants are responsible for:
- International or domestic travel to Boston
- Return travel
- Accommodation
- Living expenses
- Visa application costs
- Other required travel documentation
- Meals not included as part of the training
- Any other personal or incidental expenses
No travel allowance, accommodation subsidy, daily allowance or living stipend is promised in the official announcement or brochure.
Country teams should therefore confirm that they or their organisations can cover these expenses before applying.
Visa and Travel Responsibilities
Participants must secure their own United States visa and any other required travel documentation.
Admission to the programme does not guarantee that a visa will be issued.
Teams should consider:
- Passport validity
- United States visa requirements
- Visa interview availability
- Travel time to the nearest visa-processing location
- Accommodation costs in Boston
- Institutional travel approvals
- Travel insurance
- Budget approval from employers
- Time required to complete government or organisational procedures
Admitted teams will be notified during or before the week of January 25, 2027, providing several months to make travel and visa arrangements before the June training.
How to Request an Application
There is no public online application form linked on the programme page.
Interested organisations or teams must request the application form by contacting:
Rebecca Shin
Director, Child Protection Program
Email: rebeccashin@hsph.harvard.edu
The request should clearly identify:
- The applicant’s country
- The organisations represented
- The intention to form a three-member cross-sectoral team
- A request for the official 2027 application form
Applicants should use the form and instructions provided directly by the FXB Center rather than preparing an unofficial application.
Application Process
The general application process is expected to involve the following steps:
- Identify an important national child protection challenge.
- Form a three-member, cross-sectoral country team.
- Confirm that all members are mid-career child protection professionals.
- Confirm that all three members are fluent in written and spoken English.
- Obtain support or approval from the participating organisations.
- Email the programme director to request the official application form.
- Review the application instructions carefully.
- Develop the country case and proposed area of work collaboratively.
- Complete all required sections of the official application.
- Submit the completed team application by December 1, 2026.
- Await the admission decision during or before the week of January 25, 2027.
- If admitted, begin case-study preparation and make visa, travel and accommodation arrangements.
Applicants should request the form well before the deadline to allow sufficient time for coordination among the three organisations.
Application Deadline
The deadline to submit a completed application is:
December 1, 2026
The brochure does not specify a closing time or time zone. Teams should therefore avoid submitting on the final day.
A team application requires coordination among three professionals and their respective institutions. Applicants should begin forming their teams, securing organisational approvals and requesting the official form as early as possible.
Admission Decision Timeline
Candidates will be notified of the admission decision during or before the week of:
January 25, 2027
The official materials do not describe separate interview, shortlisting or wait-list stages. Applicants should rely on subsequent instructions issued directly by the FXB Center.
How to Prepare a Strong Team Application
Although Harvard does not publish a detailed scoring framework, a strong application should reflect the programme’s stated objectives.
Teams should clearly demonstrate:
- A significant national child protection challenge
- The relevance of the challenge to children’s rights and well-being
- Evidence that the problem requires multisectoral action
- The complementary roles of all three team members
- Strong institutional commitment
- Practical opportunities for reform or improvement
- The potential to apply learning after returning home
- The ability to influence national policies, systems or professional practice
- A commitment to collaboration
- Strong English-language ability
- Realistic expectations about travel and participation costs
The proposed case should be specific enough for meaningful analysis during the programme but significant enough to contribute to wider national child protection improvements.
Important Points to Confirm Before Applying
Prospective teams should confirm the following:
- The application will include exactly three team members.
- The team represents more than one sector.
- Individual applications will not be submitted.
- Every participant is a mid-career professional.
- Every participant works in child protection or a closely connected field.
- Every participant is fluent in written and spoken English.
- All participants can attend in person in Boston from June 7 to June 11, 2027.
- The team can cover travel, accommodation and living expenses.
- Each participant can obtain the necessary visa and travel documents.
- The team can complete and submit the application by December 1, 2026.
Conclusion
The 2027 G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training offers an important opportunity for experienced professionals to strengthen their knowledge, leadership and ability to build effective child protection systems.
Through an intensive week of instruction, case-study development, peer learning and specialist feedback, participants will examine the scientific, legal, institutional and policy dimensions of protecting children from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.
The programme’s country-team model is central to its design. Applications must be submitted by a three-member, cross-sectoral team, preferably comprising representatives from a government agency, an international organisation and a local NGO. Individual applications will not be considered.
Selected participants will receive full coverage of Harvard University course fees. Travel, accommodation, living expenses, visas and meals not included in the training remain the responsibility of participants.
The programme will take place at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston from June 7 to June 11, 2027. Applications must be submitted by December 1, 2026, and admission decisions are expected during or before the week of January 25, 2027.
Interested teams should contact Rebecca Shin at rebeccashin@hsph.harvard.edu to request the official application form and begin coordinating their country application as early as possible.
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