A call for compassion on the rail network during mental health awareness week
Railway Children and Govia Thameslink Railway partner to raise awareness of young people’s mental health across the rail network.
Date: 11/5/2026
Railway Children to Lead Family Strengthening Session at Skoll World Forum 2026
Railway Children will join partners from the Rooted Futures collaboration at the 2026 Skoll World Forum to lead an interactive session on family strengthening and child protection reform.
Author: Amy Wright | Date: 7th April 2026
Railway Children and our Rooted Futures partners will take to the stage at the Skoll World Forum 2026 to deliver a fully interactive and vibrant session that explores how family strengthening is transforming outcomes for vulnerable children across Africa.
Our session will highlight how investing in family-based care not only keeps children safe but also drives sustainable systems change aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Sidebar session, “Invisible Children: From Broken Systems to Rooted Futures,” will explore how supporting families is central to building economically stronger, healthier and more resilient communities.
Through real examples from Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, the session will demonstrate how family-based care improves outcomes across education, gender equality, poverty reduction and child protection.
Driving sustainable change at Skoll World Forum
Around the world, vulnerable families face multiple, interconnected pressures—from poverty and lack of services to displacement or social exclusion. When these pressures intensify, children face a far greater risk of separation, exploitation or harm.
Our Skoll session will unpack:
- How strengthening families keeps children safe and prevents separation
- Why family-based care is a powerful driver of long-term systems change
- What successful collaboration between funders, practitioners and lived-experience leaders looks like
- How aligned funding approaches accelerate largescale child protection reform
Attendees will hear directly from those delivering this work on the ground, offering practical learning rooted in real experience rather than theory.
About Rooted Futures
The event is part of our involvement in Rooted Futures, a multi-country partnership driving major reform across African care systems. Together, the collaboration works to amplify lived-experience leadership, strengthen family-based care, and shift national systems away from institutional models such as orphanages.
Rooted Futures is delivered by:
- Railway Children
- Child’s i Foundation
- Hope and Homes for Children
- Spring Impact
- Transform Alliance Africa
The programme is funded by the UBS Optimus Foundation.
Why attend the session?
This session is designed for funders, policymakers and practitioners seeking to create deep, lasting impact through their work.
Attendees will gain:
- Insight into how family strengthening elevates impact across the SDGs
- Clarity on aligning partners, funding and implementation in complex contexts
- Real-world learning from programmes in Africa
- The latest thinking on transitioning from institutional care to family-based models
Whether you work in philanthropy, programme design, systems change, or government, this session will offer valuable, actionable guidance.
Event Details
Wednesday 22 April
1:00pm – 2:30pm
Symposium Room, The Digital Hub, Jesus College, Market Street, Oxford OX1 3BH
Part of The Sidebar at the Skoll World Forum 2026
Register your interest
If you are planning to attend the Skoll World Forum and want to join the session, please email:
p.medovnikov@railwaychildren.org.uk
Pauline Medovnikov, Trusts and Grants Manager
Spaces are limited due to capacity.
Further information about our work
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Railway Children will join partners from the Rooted Futures collaboration at the 2026 Skoll World Forum to lead an interactive session on family strengthening and child protection reform.
Date: 07/4/2026
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Date: 10/4/2026
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Date: 31/3/2026
