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What is ICCS?
ICCS is the International Children's Continence Society, an association that brings together specialists active in pediatric continence disorders. Its stated fundamental goal is to improve quality of life and life expectancy for growing individuals with deficient bladder function—problems of storing and evacuating urine—by increasing knowledge across all aspects of this problem area (ICCS).
Who it serves
- Clinicians and specialists in pediatric urology, continence care and related fields, who can join as members and take part in board elections and the general assembly.
- Parents and families, who have a dedicated section on the site alongside e-learning and position documents.
- Researchers and trainees, who can submit abstracts and attend webinars and the annual congress.
What the site offers
The site is mainly a professional society hub: events (including webinars such as one on ketamine-induced uropathy and the ICCS Annual Congress 2026), presentations, position documents, e-learning material and organizational news. The society describes itself as an independent nonprofit whose running costs come from membership fees and unconditional educational grants from the medical industry, governed by contracts protecting independence.
A practical next step
Match the section to your role: families should start with "For Parents & Families," while clinicians will get more from position documents, e-learning and congress abstract submissions. If you are deciding whether to join, check the events and position documents first to judge whether the society's focus matches your caseload. For a broader professional body in the same field, compare with ESPU or general pediatric urology resources.
Who can join ICCS and what member benefits does it offer?
ICCS is aimed at clinicians and researchers who work with children's bladder and bowel continence problems, not at parents or the general public. Its stated purpose is to bring together specialists active in pediatric continence disorders, and it offers a separate "For Parents & Families" section for non-professionals. So the likely members are pediatric urologists, pediatric surgeons, pediatricians, nurses and continence specialists, physiotherapists doing pelvic-floor work with children, and researchers in the field. The site also lists "ICCS-Associated Experts," suggesting a second tier of involvement beyond ordinary membership.
What membership appears to provide
- Congress access and participation: the annual congress (2026 is listed for November 4–7; a joint ICCS/SPU/PUNS congress in Louisville, Kentucky is also described) is the main gathering, and members are addressed directly in congress announcements.
- Education: an E-Learning section and a Presentations archive, plus webinars such as the "Ketamine-Induced Uropathy" MD+ Mentor session.
- Position documents: clinical guidance material listed under "Position Docs."
- Governance voice: members are informed of board vacancies and can take part in the general assembly, where board terms are decided.
- News and field updates: board announcements, congress news, and statements on industry cooperation.
Practical decision criteria
If you are a trainee or a nurse new to pediatric continence, the E-Learning and presentations archive plus a congress are the most concrete reasons to join early. If you are an established specialist, the value shifts toward the position documents, the assembly vote, and the network. Parents should skip membership and use the family section instead.
A useful next step is to open the Join ICCS page and check the current fee categories and any trainee or allied-health rates before deciding; those details change and are not fixed on the public homepage. For a broader professional home in the same field, compare with European Urology or, for pediatric urology specifically, the specialty society behind Societies for Pediatric Urology — but verify any society's official domain yourself before relying on it.
How can parents find guidance on childhood bladder and continence problems through ICCS?
Parents can start with the "For Parents & Families" section of ICCS, which sits alongside the society's clinical and research material. The site's stated purpose is to improve quality of life for children with bladder storage and evacuation problems by spreading knowledge, so parent-facing content is part of that mission rather than an afterthought.
What parents can realistically use
- Plain-language starting points. The parents' area is the place to look first for explanations of what continence problems are and how they are generally approached.
- A route to specialists. ICCS is a society of clinicians active in pediatric continence, so its material helps parents understand the vocabulary and questions that come up in a specialist appointment.
- Learning resources. The site lists an e-learning section and position documents; these are written for professionals but can help an informed parent understand why a clinician recommends a particular approach.
- Events for context. Webinars and the annual congress are aimed at professionals, but their published topics show which issues are currently active in the field.
A practical next step
Before a clinic visit, read the parents' section and note two or three specific questions, such as how daytime wetting differs from bedwetting or when a child should be assessed. Bring those questions to your pediatrician or a pediatric urology service. ICCS is a knowledge body, not a diagnostic service, so it complements clinical care rather than replacing it.
For country-specific family support and helplines, organizations such as ERIC in the UK focus directly on childhood bowel and bladder issues for parents.
What is the ICCS Annual Congress and who should attend?
The ICCS Annual Congress is the yearly meeting of the International Children's Continence Society, a nonprofit association of specialists working on pediatric continence disorders—problems with storing and evacuating urine in children. Its stated aim is to improve quality of life for growing individuals with deficient bladder function by spreading knowledge across the field. The congress is where that happens in person: presentations, abstract submissions, and exchange among clinicians and researchers.
Who should attend
- Pediatric urologists and nephrologists who manage bladder and bowel dysfunction in children.
- Pediatric continence nurses and allied specialists, who have their own dedicated track at some meetings—the Louisville congress was jointly held with the Societies of Pediatric Urology (SPU) and Pediatric Urologic Nurses and Specialists (PUNS).
- Researchers and trainees in pediatric continence, especially those submitting abstracts.
- ICCS members generally, since the general assembly and board elections take place around the congress.
Practical considerations
The congress moves location and partners each year, so the audience mix shifts with it. The 2026 congress is listed for November 4–7; a joint meeting with SPU and PUNS was held in Louisville, Kentucky, in September. Abstract deadlines and programs are posted on the site, and the society also runs online webinars (for example, a session on ketamine-induced uropathy with Dr. Harriet Corbett and Dr. Stacy Tanaka) that suit people who cannot travel.
If you are deciding whether to go, check the current program and abstract deadline first at ICCS. Attend if your work involves pediatric bladder function and you want case-based discussion with peers; a webinar is the lower-commitment option if travel is difficult.
How can clinicians submit abstracts or presentations for ICCS events?
Abstracts and presentations for ICCS events are submitted through the specific event listing on the ICCS website: open the event you want to present at (for example the MD+ MENTOR webinar or the Annual Congress), and use the "Abstract submission" or "Read More" link on that page to reach the submission instructions and deadline. The site does not publish a single central submission form, so each event carries its own process and cut-off.
Practical steps for a clinician
- Start from the Events or Upcoming Events section of ICCS and pick the exact session; webinar and congress submissions are handled separately.
- Read the event's abstract rules before drafting: word limit, structure (background, methods, results, conclusion), and whether case reports are accepted.
- Check the stated deadline and time zone; the webinar listing, for instance, gives times in CET and Brasília time, so confirm which applies to you.
- Keep a copy of your submitted abstract and any confirmation, since correspondence usually comes by email from the organising committee.
Choosing the right venue
| Venue type | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Webinar (e.g., MD+ MENTOR series) | Focused clinical topics, early-career presenters, quick feedback | Narrower audience, shorter slots |
| Annual Congress | Full research abstracts, international visibility, networking | Competitive review, fixed deadlines months ahead |
If your work is a small quality-improvement project, a webinar abstract is often the faster route; reserve congress submissions for data that can withstand peer review. For format conventions, the congress abstracts indexed by PubMed show how pediatric continence work is typically structured.
How does ICCS maintain independence while cooperating with the medical industry?
ICCS states that it is an independent, nonprofit organisation, and it separates its mission from its funding relationships in three ways: board members and associated experts receive no payment for their work, running costs come from membership fees plus unconditional educational grants from the medical industry, and the cooperation is governed by contracts that guarantee independence and protect both parties.
What this means in practice
- Unpaid governance. Because the people setting direction are not compensated, industry money does not flow to individuals making content or policy decisions.
- Unconditional grants. The word "unconditional" signals that industry support is not tied to specific programmes, topics or favourable coverage.
- Contractual safeguards. Written agreements set the terms of cooperation in advance, rather than leaving independence to informal understanding.
How to read this critically
A clinician deciding whether to trust ICCS educational material, or a family browsing its parent-facing resources, can reasonably treat these as transparency commitments rather than proof of independence. The statement does not disclose grant amounts, name funders, or explain how a dispute over editorial control would be resolved. Those are the details that usually determine whether a policy holds up under pressure.
A useful next step
If independence matters for a specific decision — for example, citing ICCS guidance in a review or recommending its congress to trainees — check whether individual publications and events carry their own disclosure statements, and whether the society publishes an annual report listing supporters. For context on how other paediatric continence bodies handle this, see ESPU and ICCS.
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