The 7th International Conference on Shared Parenting (ICSP) will be held in Lisbon, Portugal from 3 – 6 December 2025 at the University of Lisbon and the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE) as a hybrid event.
December 6th will also be the 10th International Conference on Equal Parenting of the Portuguese Equal Parenting and Children’s Rights Association. The working language is English with simultaneous translation of plenary sessions and part of the workshop contributions in Portuguese.

The conference theme is Shared Parenting in Practice: Challenges and Opportunities

Since the formation of ICSP in 2014, there has been a growing consensus globally that shared parenting, where children alternate their home
life across households, represents not just a viable model of family life for children and young people but in the majority of cases the most desirable outcome for them where parents do not live together. However, the ways in which shared parenting is enacted and the extent to which it is understood and supported in practice varies enormously from country to country and across jurisdictions. This is due not least to the different ways in which shared parenting can be viewed, depending on whether it is being considered as a judicial decision, a family practice, an administrative framework, a discourse, an aspiration, an ideology or a political tool. To this we might also add a psychological or emotional imperative.

The conference organisers (Scientific and Organisation Committee) have collected contributions that will help unpack and address the challenges and opportunities that arise for shared parenting in practice from and through these different lenses. We are delighted to be able to host the ICSP Conference for 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal, and will hear from contributors including those from South America and Brazil where shared parenting has come to the fore in recent years raising both challenges and opportunities in equal measure. As a powerhouse of Latin America, the legal, social and cultural drivers that surround all aspects of shared parenting in practice within Brazil can provide a helpful barometer of change and transformation not just within the Americas but across the global south more generally. For this reason, many of the presentations will be simultaneously translated in English and Portuguese, making this a truly powerful and compelling opportunity.

Scientists, researchers, child and family professionals, and members of civil society, from the fields of law, social work, psychology, sociology, and other academic disciplines concerned with children’s rights and wellbeing will present and discuss their findings (Third Announcement).

Distinguished scientists, practitioners, and leaders from all over the world have already confirmed their participation (link to Plenary Speakers follows).

Presentations will be held in plenary sessions as well as in workshops, panels and roundtable sessions, which will approach many topics of special interest. There will also be many networking opportunities.

#Accomodation

Accommodation

The following hotels are recommended:

Hotel Ibis Lisboa Malhoa
SANA Metropolitan
Lisbon Marriott Hotel
Jam Hotel Lisbon

Social and networking events

During and after the conference, the following social and networking events are offered:

3 December 2025: Welcome Drink
registration requested

First drink included
Time: Starts at 19:30

Pensao Amor (Bar 1st Floor)
Address: Rua Nova do Carvalho, 38 / Rua do Alecrim, 19 (entrance until 23:00)
Cais do Sodre
Website: pensaoamor.com/en/

How to get there:
Metro: Cais do Sodre (Green Line), 3-minute walk
Nearby: Pink Street, Time Out Market
Notes: No food menu (only meat/cheese snacks)
Wheelchair-accessible ground floor (bar area)

4 December 2025: Conference Dinner 
Registration needed by 27th November 2025

Time: Starts at 20:00h
Price: EUR 48 per person

Casa do Alentejo 
Rua das Portas de Santo Antao, 58, 1150-268 Lisboa, Portugal
Website: casadoalentejo.pt

7 December 2025: Nazare and Fatima Tour
Registration needed by 1st October 2025

Full-day / 8h visit
Price: EUR 87 per person

This is a proposal for a visit to central Portugal, Fatima and Nazare. Fatima is a place of worship for Catholics and other faiths, a pilgrimage site, receiving thousands of people who express their faith at the site of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. Nazare is a land linked to the sea, a fishing village that is now at the center of world surfing routes, known for its giant waves. Nazare owes its name to the image of Our Lady of Nazare, which came from the Holy Land.

This is a Full day (8h) visit
Estimated timetable: 8:30am-16:30pm
Lunch not included – visitor’s free time