The publication brings together national and international voices in tribute to the researcher's professional and affective journey.

A special issue of O Social em Questão, a journal published by PUCRio, has been released under the title 'The meanings of care, knowledge and practice. The professional and affective legacy of Professor Irene Rizzini'. The issue brings together different voices, trajectories and perspectives in tribute to Professor Irene Rizzini, founder and director of the International Center for Research and Policy on Childhood (CIESPI).

Proposed by PUC-Rio's Department of Social Work, the initiative marks Irene's retirement as a fu l professor at the institution in 2026 and celebrates a career with national and international impact, devoted to the study of childhood and youth and to the defence of the rights of children and adolescents.

Since joining PUC-Rio in 2002, Irene has developed an intense teaching, research and outreach practice at undergraduate and graduate levels, bringing together education, research and extension around issues related to children's rights, social policies and the inequalities that shape the lives of children, adolescents and young people. Her academic work is complemented by her leadership at CIESPI, strengthening research, training and advocacy networks in Brazil and in different countries.

Edited by Carolina Terra, Mariana Menezes, Marit Ursin and Ricardo Fletes the issue includes contributions from professors, researchers and professionals from Brazil and abroad, who share different moments from Irene's professional trajectory. The publication is organised around five major thematic areas: the history of social policies; legislation and child welfare: the contexts between home, the street; international networks; and decolonial studies and nature-based approaches. Across these themes, academic articles and personal accounts interweave, revealing different dimensions of Irene's contributions to the field of childhood and youth.

Read the special issue online.