The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect
Our vision is to create a world without abuse and neglect
The Kempe Mission
The Kempe Center was the first of its kind, established in 1972 to better understand and prevent child maltreatment and to serve affected children and their families. For the past 48 years, Kempe has promoted understanding, knowledge and best practices to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect locally, nationally and internationally.
Today we honor our legacy while looking ahead for ways to transform our field. It is our mission to improve the lives of children and families. We believe that abuse and neglect are preventable and people are resilient. We are curious. We take a stand. We test assumptions. Our leadership in advocacy, research, education and clinical work drives innovative strategies that transform the field. Through our work we strengthen families, communities and the systems that serve them. We are a catalyst, connecting people, information and best practices to translate knowledge into action.
Our vision is a world without abuse and neglect.
What's happening at Kempe?
Join the CARE Network as a Designated Provider!
Expertise to conduct medical exams and behavioral health assessments to evaluate suspected cases of child abuse and neglect is extremely limited. The CARE Network's aim is to increase local capacity by building appropriate infrastructure to provide technical assistance and resources through a state-funded program that develops and maintains a standardized, coordinated response to suspected child abuse and neglect through a network of designated healthcare providers.
Summer Research Institute: Save the Date! August 2 - 6, 2021
The Kempe Interdisciplinary Summer Research Institute (held virtually this year) aims to better prepare researchers to apply for NIH and other support for their work and to ensure that practitioners are using the best evidence available to structure interventions that are contributing to the evidence base through well-designed evaluations. Instructors include faculty from Kempe and several other leading research organizations and universities. Register Now!
Connect with Us to Learn More About Kempe!
Connect with us on Facebook @kempecenter and on LinkedIn @the-kempe-center! Join our virtual community to connect with your fellow humble helpers and stay up-to-date on the latest multi-disciplinary resources from Kempe Center professionals and our partners! Join our mail list below to learn more about upcoming events and offerings from the Kempe Center. If you need to contact a Kempe Center professional please email: Kempe.Center@ucdenver.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!
Register Now for Kempe's International Virtual Conference A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare!
OCTOBER 4 – 7, 2021
Since early 2020, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on health disparities, poverty, and societal inequities. Shortly after, global protests awakened our collective and universal consciousness of systemic and institutional racism. Around the globe, the past year has been a period of action and social connection. People have taken a stand and called for intense equality and fairness. In response, The Kempe Center launched the hugely successful Inaugural A Call to Action to Change Child Welfare Conference last fall. This event was attended by over 1400 participants from 20 different countries that included contributions from children and young people, family members and child and family serving professionals from around the globe. On October 4-7, 2021 (North America, Europe, Africa) Kempe will reconvene this international community of practice striving to create change in child welfare by connecting communities that are lifting up child and family well-being and social and community justice. Join this international community of practice as we work to raise the collective consciousness of the impact of poverty, racism, oppression, othering, and inequality on the lives of children and families in child welfare systems. Contribute to the change through dialogue, thought leadership, innovative practice, and accessible research. Take action to confront and change oppressive laws and institutions by shifting power and decision-making back to children, family, and community. Register now and join the change! #kempeaction2021
REGISTER NOW!
Radio Kempe
Radio Kempe is a podcast here to connect you with the information you need to tackle current issues. Join us as we talk about difficult topics. Help us as we test assumptions to disrupt traditional ways of thinking. Get curious, tune in, and join us on the journey to prevent child abuse and neglect every month of the year!
Episode 1: To Trouble the Comfortable and Comfort the Troubled: Championing the Voices of Families. Join us as we have a conversation with Vivek Sankaran, Clinical Professor of Law at The University of Michigan Law School and a leading advocate for child welfare reform. Listen to his experience developing a new approach to helping families that focuses on preventative interventions instead of reactions. What if lawyers could intervene before a separation is made? What does it mean to be a champion for the voices of those who are in the system? What could cases look like if families had the opportunity to assert their rights? Accept the call to be bold and listen now to learn more!
LISTEN NOW
The Kempe Café
Kempe’s Café will provide you and your helping professional colleagues, a free, virtual learning space - One we hope will become a catalyst for relationship, resourcing, and connection. We will host a Café on the last Thursday of every month at 10 AM (mountain). Every session will focus on different topics relevant to you. Registration links will be sent each Monday before the Café. Your presence matters.
We are excited to announce that in place of a May cafe we are releasing recordings of many of our previous sessions in our new Kempe Café Video Library. Visit to watch now!
WATCH NOW!
Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States
This moving picture book for older children and families (written by Professor Warren Binford, Director for Pediatric Law, Ethics & Policy, The Kempe Center and W.H. Lea for Justice Endowed Chair in Pediatric Law, Ethics and Policy, CU Anschutz) introduces a difficult topic, amplifying the voices and experiences of immigrant children detained at the Mexico/US border by using the children's actual words. Publisher’s Weekly says “This is a heartrending but vital work.” Reserve your copy and don’t miss the release on Tuesday, April 13th!