Thirty people. Ten country teams. One week at Harvard.
Those numbers define the G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training Program and they explain why the 1 December 2026 deadline deserves immediate attention from anyone working in this field.
The François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University is now accepting applications for its 2027 cohort. Full tuition scholarships are available for all admitted participants funded through the G. Barrie Landry Fund and UNICEF USA. The training runs from 7 to 11 June 2027 on the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health campus in Boston.
But before anything else one requirement changes everything about how to approach this application.
At a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Program | G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Training 2027 |
| Host | FXB Center Harvard University USA |
| Location | Boston Massachusetts on-site |
| Dates | 7 to 11 June 2027 Monday midday to Friday midday |
| Places available | 30 participants, 10 country teams only |
| Who can apply | Cross-sectoral teams of 3 mid-career professionals |
| Tuition | Fully covered for all admitted participants |
| Travel and accommodation | Participants’ own responsibility |
| Application deadline | 1 December 2026 |
Individual Applications Are Not Accepted
This is the most important thing to understand before spending time on an application.
The Landry CP Training does not accept individual applicants. Every application must come from a cross-sectoral country team of exactly three people.
The preferred team composition is:
- One member from a government institution
- One member from an international organization
- One member from a local NGO or civil society organization
That structure is intentional. The program is built around multi-sectoral collaboration. The idea that sustainable child protection systems require government, civil society and international bodies working together not in parallel.
If you are a child protection professional reading this alone the first task is not filling out a form. It is identifying two colleagues from different sectors who are equally committed, available for the June dates, and ready to apply together.
With only 10 teams admitted globally, that conversation needs to start now.
What Harvard Covers And What It Does Not
Full tuition scholarships are available for all admitted participants. Every Harvard course fee is covered through the G. Barrie Landry Fund and UNICEF USA support.
Participants and their organizations remain responsible for:
- International or domestic travel costs
- Accommodation in Boston
- Living and meal expenses not included in the program
- Visa fees and required travel documentation
Boston in June is not inexpensive. Teams should begin estimating travel and accommodation costs early particularly for members traveling from outside the United States where visa processing timelines add another layer of planning.
Admissions decisions come by 25 January 2027. That leaves roughly four months between notification and the June start date. For non-US participants that window is workable but not generous for US visa applications.
Who the Program Is Built For
The Landry CP Training is designed for mid-career professionals whose work directly involves child protection. Not newcomers to the field and not senior officials who have moved primarily into administrative roles.
Eligible team members may work for government agencies, international organizations or local NGOs and civil society organizations. All participants must be fluent in written and spoken English.
The program draws professionals working across contexts where child protection is critical. Displacement and refugee settings, conflict zones, post-disaster environments and countries addressing child labor, early marriage, abuse, neglect and violence.
What unites eligible participants is not geography. It is a combination of field experience, leadership, responsibility and genuine commitment to strengthening child protection systems in their national context.
The Case Study Requirement Before You Arrive
One feature of this program separates it from most academic training courses and it begins before participants board their flights to Boston.
Each country team is required to prepare a case study based on a real child protection challenge they face in their country and want to address. This case study is presented on the first day of the training week.
Throughout the program, teams use research, expert instruction and peer discussion to analyze and develop potential solutions to their identified challenge. On the final day, each team presents its proposed approaches to a panel of Harvard-affiliated child protection experts who provide individualized feedback.
Previous country teams have brought case studies covering:
- Child marriage and legal reform
- Alternative care systems
- Violence against children
- Inadequate legal frameworks
- Weak social service workforces
- Insufficient administrative data on child protection
The case study model means teams need to arrive with a clearly defined problem. Deciding on that focus before applying not after acceptance strengthens the application and accelerates preparation.
What the Week Covers
The training is taught by Harvard faculty and child protection experts with active field experience. Sessions run from Monday midday through Friday midday.
Core learning areas include:
- The impact of violence, exploitation and abuse on children’s development
- Multidisciplinary approaches to prevention and response
- International human rights frameworks and legal principles
- Components of effective national child protection systems
- Evidence-based advocacy and data challenges
- Digital tools in child protection
- Coalition-building negotiation and leadership
- Policy and legislative reform
- Multi-sectoral cooperation across health, education, social services and justice
How to Request an Application
There is no direct online application portal.
To apply, country teams must first request an application form by email from Rebecca Shin, Director of the Child Protection Program at the FXB Center.
Before making contact, confirm that your team meets the cross-sectoral three-person requirement. Teams that do not meet the composition requirements will not be considered.
Full program information, eligibility details, and contact information for requesting the application form are available on the FXB Center’s official G. Barrie Landry Child Protection Professional Training Program page.
The application deadline is 1 December 2026.
Given that only 10 teams will be accepted from the global pool of applicants, requesting the form and beginning the application process early is strongly advisable.
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