RCPCH Conference 2026 - Abstract submission FAQs

What are the benefits of presenting an abstract?

• Get a citation on the online Archives of Disease in Childhood journal, event app and online programme
• Showcase preliminary project work and gain constructive feedback to help shape future activity
• Add to your CV and boost your chances of winning funding
• Refine your presentation skills and promote yourself, and your institution
• Share your knowledge - your work could make a real difference
• Top scoring abstract authors also have the chance to present their work as a plenary talk in the main auditorium

Do I have to pay to submit? 

There is no fee for making a submission. However, if your submission is accepted (see below for presentation opportunities), the presenting author will be required to attend the conference and pay the registration fee that applies to them.

If selected for oral presentation you must attend in person on the day that your presentation has been allocated to. If selected for ePoster presentation only you can choose to attend either in person or virtually. 

What are the fees to attend the conference?

Fees will be announced soon and we'll publish on this website. 

What are the abstract submission guidelines?

We urged all submitters to read the abstract submission guidelines before proceeding to submit your abstract. These include information about what to consider, structure and content of the abstract, references, consent, author listings and review process.

Read abstract submission guidelines

Are there any training materials to help?

Dr Nick Brown, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood, shares practical advice on manuscript preparation, peer review and publishing success. It's freely available on our RCPCH Learning website.

Watch peer-review training on RCPCH Learning

What are the presentation opportunities?

At the time of submission, you were asked to select your presentation preference. The options are ePoster display and oral presentation or ePoster display only. You will also be asked to submit your abstract to a specialty category (these are listed below). If your abstract is accepted, the organisers from your chosen specialty category will decide which format it will take and will cater to your preference where appropriate and possible.

ePoster display and oral presentation 

If selected for oral presentation, you will present your abstract at the speciality group session which it has been submitted to. The time and date of your presentation will be included in your notification email in December. 

Oral presenters will be required to attend the conference in person, at the ICC Birmingham. 

Oral presenters will also be required to produce an ePoster for display. 

ePoster display only

All ePosters will be displayed on an interactive ePoster screen and on the conference app. The ePoster display allows delegates to interact with poster authors and ask questions. Full details and poster templates will be sent following acceptance.

Plenary presentation

You do not have the option select 'plenary presentation' as a preferred option as these are selected by the Conference Organising Committee. The top scoring abstract from each group will be reviewed by the Committee who will then select nine for the coveted plenary presentation slots. This is an exciting opportunity for authors to present their work to the main auditorium during the plenary sessions. Those selected for plenary presentation will be required to attend in person.

What are the specialty categories I can submit to?

These are the speciality categories you can submit your abstract to. 

Association of Child Death Review Professionals

The Association of Child Death Review Professionals (ACDRP) "Learning from every child death, preventing future loss and supporting families". 

ACDRP is an independent, multi-agency network of child death review professionals with members from across the UK, members include paediatricians, nurses, police officers, pathologists, coroners, social workers, public health, bereavement support workers.

ACDRP provides a network of expertise on child death review processes, including the joint agency response to unexpected deaths, hospital child mortality review and Child Death Overview Panels (CDOP) . We run peer support and supervision for specialist child death nurses, CDOP chairs, and CDOP public health leads.

ACDRP runs an annual training conference relating to all aspects of child death review, and has developed the RCPCH course 'How to manage: when a child dies - the role of the paediatrician'. 

Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine

APEM is a charity affiliated to the RCPCH, promoting excellence, training and research into Paediatric Emergency Medicine. The Association of Paediatric Emergency Medicine would like to read about any work that has made a difference to the acute/emergency care pathway for children and young people.

Association of Paediatric Palliative Medicine

APPM represents all doctors, nurses and allied health care professionals who are involved in providing Palliative care to children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, across the UK and Ireland. Our work involves leading in symptom management, advance care planning and end of life care, as well as supporting children, young people and their families across all the health care settings where they may be. This includes support ranging from antenatal referrals, to ICU admissions to liaising with community or hospice teams, and everything in between.

British Academy of Childhood Disability

BACD is a membership organisation open to all professionals working in the field of childhood disability. This includes paediatricians, mental health professionals, specialist nurses, allied health professionals, and professionals working in the education and social care sectors. BACD operates as an affiliate group of the British Association of Community Child Health, a specialty group of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and as the UK branch of the European Academy of Childhood Disability.

British Association for Community Child Health

BACCH is the professional membership organisation for doctors and other professionals working in paediatrics and child health in the community.

British Association of Child and Adolescent Public Health

BACAPH welcomes abstracts relating to improving the health and well-being of CYP by reducing inequities and unacceptable variations in health and care that affect children and families and using resources wisely and ethically, supporting sustainable development to secure the health and wellbeing of future generations too.

British Association of General Paediatrics

BAGP is committed to amplifying the voice of General Paediatricians and impacting the work and outcomes in General Paediatrics. We collaborate closely with GAPRUKI (General and Adolescent Paediatric Research in the UK and Ireland), promoting research in General Paediatrics.

We welcome abstracts about any work, Quality improvement projects, or research addressing issues impacting General Paediatrics, for example, improving new models of care, developing training and workforce, supporting high clinical standards, including integration of physical and mental health, impacting systems and inequalities, or/and working in partnership with Children, Young People, and Families (CYPF). The submissions can represent work relevant to acute and general paediatricians in different settings, such as inpatients, outpatients, ambulatory and emergency care, and integrated care services within District General Hospitals or Teaching Hospitals with specialist acute and general paediatric teams.

British Association of Paediatricians in Audiology

The British Association of Paediatricians in Audiology (BAPA) represents all paediatricians with an interest in children’s hearing. It seeks to be at the forefront of professional development in the field of audio vestibular paediatrics.

British Association of Perinatal Medicine and Neonatal Society

The British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) is a professional association representing over 2,700 perinatal professionals and stakeholders including neonatal and obstetric doctors, nurses, ANNPs, midwives, managers, allied health professionals and parents.

BAPM aims to improve standards in perinatal care by supporting those involved to optimise their skills and knowledge, promote high quality, safe and innovative practice, encourage research, and speak out for the needs of babies and their families..

British Association for Paediatric Nephrology

BAPN is a division of The Renal Association. The group welcomes abstracts relating to working or training in renal units, caring for patients with kidney disease, and renal research to improve patient care in the future. BAPN is open to all professionals working towards improving the care and lives of children with kidney diseases.

British Inherited Metabolic Disease Group

British Inherited Metabolic Disease Group is a professional organisation for clinicians and allied specialists caring for children with rare inherited disorders. These disorders affect normal cellular biochemical homeostasis. While the individual frequency of each is often exceedingly rare, given that there are more than a thousand such genetic disorders, their combined incidence is significant. This diversity creates diagnostic challenges. Management of these conditions is also complex and requires a truly multidisciplinary team working. Metabolic medicine is a cutting-edge specialty which is very research driven. Better understanding of these rare disorders and advancing the development of the new treatments are essential for the improvement of clinical outcomes for patients and families.

British Paediatric Allergy Immunity and Infection Group

BPAIIG encompasses health professionals working and training in allergy, immunology and infections. We welcome abstracts for original research, case presentations, case series, audits or review of topics relevant to allergies, infections and immunodeficiencies in children and young people. Every year we receive high numbers of high quality abstracts from all over the UK and the World and are always very excited to hear what is going on where you work. This is a great opportunity to present your work to general and specialty paediatricians, our sessions always attract very high numbers of participants.

British Paediatric and Adolescent Bone Group

BPABG represents clinicians, specialist nurses and allied health professionals who look after children and adolescents with bone and mineral disorders. This group is actively involved in research and training and will accept abstracts in relation to metabolic bone disorders.

British Paediatric Neurology Association

The British Paediatric Neurology Association (BPNA) is the professional organisation for clinicians who specialise in the care of children with neurological disorders. The BPNA is aiming to promote the health and well-being of children with neurological disorders through training and education of professionals working in the field of neurosciences, research into neurological disorders affecting children & young people, improvement of knowledge of professionals, the public and patients and their families through scientific meetings and providing support to members to facilitate the delivery of the above objectives.  BPNA welcomes abstracts relating to the care of children with neurological disorders, paediatric neurodisability and allied neurosciences.

British Paediatric Respiratory Society

BPRS, is a multidisciplinary organisation which exists to promote the respiratory health of all children and to improve the health of children with respiratory disease .BPRS members look after children with a wide range of respiratory ailments at all stages of childhood. These include chronic lung disease of prematurity ,chronic conditions like Asthma and Cystic fibrosis, rare lung diseases as well as congenital airway and lung malformations. Our speciality works in close liaison with colleagues in other specialities most notably in the Paediatric Critical care unit. We are strong advocates for health promotion and prevention of disease in areas which impact respiratory health like air pollution and tobacco smoke.

British Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN) is a society that brings together colleagues from a range of professional disciplines and is recognised by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) as the society responsible for this field of paediatric medicine.

BSPGHAN’s membership is renowned for its friendliness and inclusivity. Membership stands at around 500 members, comprising consultants and specialist trainees in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition; affiliated health care professionals such as specialist dieticians, nurses, pharmacists, clinical psychologists and scientists. This breadth of membership is a great benefit to the society and the wide range or professionals serve to represent our models of care for families.

BSPGHAN supports clinical research, training and education for all our members with the aim of promoting optimal care for our patients.

British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Dermatology

BSPAD is a special interest group of the British Association of Dermatology (BAD) which is a professional interest group for children and young people with skin conditions (including hair).

British Society for Rheumatology

British Society for Rheumatology is the UK’s leading specialist medical society for rheumatology and musculoskeletal professionals. We support our members to deliver the best care at all stages of the care pathway, improving the lives of children, adolescents and adults with rheumatic and musculoskeletal disease.

British Society for the History of Paediatrics and Child Health

The BSHPCH is looking for abstracts dealing with the history of childhood illness and treatment, historical aspects of child health including social and educational issues and biographical accounts of paediatric and other pioneers involved in childcare. However, other topics of historical interest within this general framework would be welcome.

British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

BSPED welcomes abstracts relating to improving the care of children and young people with endocrine disorders and diabetes mellitus. They bring together professionals from a range of disciplines, including tertiary paediatric endocrinologists and diabetologists, general paediatricians with an interest in endocrinology and/or diabetes, researchers, nurses and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of these patients.

Child Protection Special Interest Group

CPSIG welcomes abstracts relating to emerging themes in child protection and safeguarding, in particular issues impacting vulnerable children and young people, and exploring the latest Child Protection evidence.

Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group

CCLG is the UK and Ireland's professional association for all those working in childhood, teenage and young adult cancer.

Climate Change Working Group

Climate change poses an existential threat to children and young people. The Climate Change Member Reference Group creates space for paediatricians to discuss what we can do as health professionals and ensure that actions we take now are preserving the world for and protecting the health of future generations. We've had a session at the conference since RCPCH declared a climate emergency in 2020 and welcome a wide range of abstract submissions including examples of brilliant advocacy or sustainability projects. We look forward to using the session as a space to learn from each other and promote reproduction of successes across paediatrics. 

Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group

The UK DSMIG is a network of doctors and allied health professionals whose aim is to ensure equitable provision of medical care for all people with Down syndrome in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

DSMIG has developed and continually update relevant resources and guidelines for basic essential medical surveillance, key points and awareness notes, Personal child health record insert, Growth charts and articles etc. relevant to Down Syndrome. We also have an active role in national policy development. DSMIG collaborates closely with the Down Syndrome Association.

Ethics and Law Advisory Committee

This session covers medical ethics and law, exploring real word challenges in paediatrics in this space.

George Still Forum – ADHD and related neurodevelopmental disorder group

George Still Forum was founded in 2006 by Paediatricians who found themselves looking  after children with developmental-behavioural difficulties. George Still Forum is an academic platform by Community Paediatricians for their further education in the field of ADHD and related subjects like Autism, Sleep Problems in children, related Neuroscience, Child Development and Child Psychology.

Over the years there has been significant advancements in the understanding of the condition, its aetiology, pathology and management. The Forum has propagated knowledge to all professionals working with children through conferences. We have made contribution in the development of NICE guidelines. We have also been linked with International Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry , Royal College of Psychiatry and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Our mission remains encouraging professionals of all backgrounds working in the field of Developmental Paediatrics to come together and share their work/experience for the ultimate benefit of the children out in the community.

International Child Health Group

ICHG is a special interest group for paediatricians and child health professionals with an interest in improving global child health. ICHG advocates for improved child health globally (including displaced children in UK) with activities to promote education and training of the global child health leaders of tomorrow. We welcome abstract submissions on all paediatric sub-specialities and public health topics which have a global child health focus.

Leading, Designing and Delivering Health Services for Children & Young People

Previously known as the PiMM and then the Paediatric Clinical Leaders section, this is the official section for the Health Services brief at the RCPCH. It encompasses all aspects around the delivery of healthcare for CYP - from service design and commissioning, to leading, developing and evaluating of all aspects of the models of care that are responsible for safe, effective, efficient healthcare for CYP.

Paediatric Critical Care Society

PCCS welcomes abstracts relating to paediatric intensive care, transport and high dependency care as well as operational delivery networks.

Paediatric Educators' Special Interest Group

PEdSIG is a group of healthcare professionals with an interest in paediatric education.

PEdSIG is all about promoting paediatric education (undergraduate and postgraduate). We are keen to support those involved in paediatric education through meetings, social media, written resources and by building a network of paediatricians who want to inspire through great teaching and education. Through our link with the College, we aim to influence and contribute to the wider paediatric education agenda.

We also promote educational research and scholarship in paediatrics through our conferences, grants and mentorship network.

Paediatric Mental Health Association

PMHA is a group of paediatricians and associated professionals who work to improve the care of young peoples’ mental health. This includes training and education, advocacy and policy. We are working to implement the “Parity of Esteem” principle into practice. We aim to work with young people from a holistic point of view, taking into account a bio-psycho-social model and working with the wider multidisciplinary team, families and community. We also discuss complex issues and legal and ethical dilemmas in this field.

Paediatric British Society of Haematology

Paediatric British Society of Haematology give oversight to the diagnosis and management of children with blood disorders (both malignant and non malignant) and give direction to curriculum (paediatric haematology and paediatricians with an interest in haematology/ oncology) workforce planning, education and training.

Paediatricians with Expertise in Cardiology Special Interest Group

The Paediatricians with Expertise in Cardiology SIG accepts a large number of high quality abstracts each year. They welcome abstracts from paediatricians, neonatologists, paediatric cardiologists, trainees, medical students, cardiac nurse specialists and echo technicians related to paediatric cardiology.

Quality Improvement and Patient Safety

This group welcomes abstracts that describe work in quality improvement (QI) and patient safety, with a clear focus on making and testing changes over time. Submissions can relate to any paediatric speciality or service and doesn’t have to be branded ‘QI’ – the group is interested in system, process or behaviour change efforts to improve care for children and young people.

They are especially interested in work that shows sustained improvement or ongoing efforts to make change stick — for example, a 1–2 year follow-up on a project presented previously. If things didn’t go as planned, that’s okay too — tell them what you tried, what you learned, and what you're doing next.

See more detail about submitting an abstract in the QI and safety category

Trainee Committee

We welcome abstracts about research or projects that have impacted on the training, education, career prospects, quality of life or wellbeing of postgraduate doctors in training in paediatrics, as well as about imaginative projects done by paediatric trainees. If it's done by paediatric doctors in training or for paediatric doctors in training, we want to hear about it!

We are committed to improving satisfaction and success in training for our colleagues and peers, and we want to hear about your research, your initiatives, and your experiences. We have a particular interest in inclusion, equality and diversity. Send us your abstracts! Previous sessions have included projects to involve junior doctors in research; "stepping up" sessions and initiatives to improve exam or interview success; multicentre audits run by doctors in training; schemes designed by international medical graduates for international medical graduates; wellbeing projects; experiences of doctors with disabilities.

Young People's Health Special Interest Group

The YPHSIG aims to raise the profile of young people's health and promote the development of high quality health services for young people in the UK. We are an association of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and membership is open to paediatricians and other healthcare professionals working with young people.

What are the key dates?

Below are the key dates for abstract submissions for Annual Conference 2026.

Where are the abstracts published?

All submissions that are accepted for presentation will be published in the online supplement and the online publication of our journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood.