Asian Family Conference 2026

Date: 17 Nov 2026 to 18 Nov 2026

Time: 09.00AM to 06.00PM

Venue: Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

Event Type: Conferences

School/Department: University Research Office

 

Overview

The Ministry of Social and Family Development of Singapore (MSF) is organising the 5th Asian Family Conference (AFC), which will be held in Singapore on 17 and 18 November. This year, MSF is partnering the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to co-organise AFC 2026, and SUSS is leading the Review Panel for the AFC 2026 Call for Abstracts. Our Conference theme for 2026 is “Empowering Families, Thriving Children”.

The biennial conference serves as the regional policy-practice-research platform, focusing on family research and its translation to policies and practices. This year’s conference focuses on understanding the challenges and opportunities that families face, particularly in a world where digital media is an integral part of our children’s lives, and how parenting behaviours influence family functioning and children wellbeing.

 

Programme

 Day 1Day 2
 

Opening Keynote

Prof Candice Odgers

Director of Research and Faculty Development, Chancellor’s Professor of Psychology and Informatics, University of California, Irvine

“The Digital Generation: How Families Can Navigate Opportunities & Risks?”

Our opening keynote will set the stage for the conference by sharing how digital technologies can enhance children’s learning, wellbeing, and connection, how to transform the use of technology into opportunities for growth, and foster digital habits that build resilience and empathy and highlight what families, schools and governments can do.

 

Day 2 Keynote

Prof Chong Yap Seng

Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Deputy Chief Executive (Education & Research) of the National University Health System

“Research that Counts: From Behaviours to Outcomes and What it Means for Policy & Practice”

The keynote presentation will share on the impact of parenting behaviours on child and family outcomes and highlight how they can be translated to evidence-based approaches or programmes to foster positive developmental outcomes for children. 

More details on the programme will be available soon.

 

 

Conference Themes

1. Strengthening Family Relationships

 This theme examines the critical role of strong, supportive family relationships in shaping children’s emotional, social and cognitive development and highlight strategies to enhance parent-child bonds and family support systems.

2. The Role of Fathers

 This theme examines how active paternal involvement supports children’s emotional development, learning and social behaviour and how programmes, policies and workplaces can better support and encourage meaningful father-children relationships.

3. Promoting Holistic Development through Play and Learning

 This theme highlights the critical role of play and integrated learning in supporting children’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical development, it explores how play-based approaches can lay the foundation for lifelong curiosity, well-being and learning.

4. Supporting Families and Children in Need

 This theme examines how families and children in need can be supported to promote family and children’s well-being.

5. Fostering Resilience in Children

 This theme examines how families, communities and systems can nurture resilience in children to help them adapt and thrive despite challenges, as well as during periods of transitions.

6. Supporting Children to Navigate in the Digital World

 This theme examines the opportunities and challenges that children face growing up in a digital environment and how families, educators and policymakers can support children in developing healthy digital habits. 

 

For enquiries related to the conference, email [email protected].