The "Crisis Driven Orphanhood: Estimates and Policy Response to Protect Children" webinar was held virtually on February 26, 2025. Video coverage of the event is now available.

Deaths of parents and grandparent caregivers due to social and health crises significantly threaten child well-being, leading to losses in financial support, physical safety, family stability, and care. Yet, this is rarely recognized as a public health crisis. Using data science and epidemiologic methods, and relying on vital statistical information from a variety of settings, a January 2025 report in Nature Medicine, "Orphanhood and caregiver death among children in the United States by all-cause mortality, 2000–2021," estimated that nearly 3 million children in the United States experienced orphanhood due to all causes of death among parents and caregivers. Webinar participants discussed the findings of this report and the adverse consequences that affect children and adolescents in the immediate and long term. The webinar also provided evidence-based solutions that may benefit families and children and can be delivered in numerous settings worldwide.

Click here to view the full webinar...