The Barnahus Network is partnering with Spring Impact to explore how to support you, our members, to effectively scale Barnahus.

This three-part masterclass series focuses on themes and challenges that members have consistently raised –  from clarifying what scaling means, to understanding how to do it in practice, to navigating the wider system.

The aim of the series is to support members who are working to expand, strengthen, or institutionalise Barnahus in their countries. You can find the overview of the masterclass topics and agenda below.

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

Registration: Network members and associate members have received an email registration details.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

This interactive online training focuses on how to adapt Barnahus environments and processes so that children with different disabilities can participate safely and meaningfully.

The session takes a practical, case-based approach. Participants will work through the child’s journey in Barnahus (arrival, waiting, interview, medical examination, transitions) and identify concrete adjustments that improve accessibility, communication, and safeguarding.

The training uses a structured framework (SPACED) to guide this work, covering:

• the physical environment and sensory conditions
• how professionals interact with the child
• how processes are sequenced and paced
• how communication is adapted (including non-verbal and supported communication)
• what tools or supports may be needed
• how information is documented and followed up

The training is delivered in collaboration Inside EU, which supports public and private bodies to design to implement inclusive practices.

Learning objectives

By the end of the session, participants should be better able to:

• recognise how different disabilities (including intellectual, communication, sensory and physical) affect participation 
• distinguish between behaviour, distress, and communication
• adapt communication to the child’s needs, including use of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) where relevant
• allow for processing time, predictability, and reduced cognitive load
• identify practical environmental and procedural adjustments that reduce stress and improve reliability of the child’s account
• ensure that adaptations support both accessibility and evidential quality

Who should participate

This training is relevant for any professionals working in or with Barnahus, who work directly with children who may have communication differences, developmental disabilities, or sensory sensitivities.

Date and time: 3 June 2026, 8 hours

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

Registration: Network members and associate members have received an email registration details.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

REGISTRATIONS ARE CLOSED

Caregivers play a crucial role in a child’s healing journey — their emotional stability, understanding of trauma, and engagement in the process can significantly influence the outcomes for the child. This training meets several key Barnahus needs:

• Addresses the growing demand for holistic support in Barnahus services, especially as more cases involve technology-facilitated sexual abuse .
• Provides a replicable, structured model for caregiver support that complements the Barnahus approach to recovery.
• Enables professionals to extend the scope of their psychosocial work in a sustainable and evidence-based way.
• Enhances child participation and wellbeing indirectly by building resilience and capacity in parents, as demonstrated in pilot outcomes from Finland and Ireland (2024).

About the training

You Are Enough™ is a trauma-informed, evidence-based peer support group model designed to equip professionals to facilitate support groups for parents and caregivers of children who have experienced sexual violence — including online and technology-facilitated abuse. 

Learning outcomes 

Delivered through a two-day online training and ongoing supervision, this training prepares professionals to:

• Lead psychoeducational and peer-support groups using a manualised CBT-informed approach.
• Support caregivers in processing trauma, building resilience, and strengthening their capacity to support their children’s recovery.
• Create safe, confidential spaces where parents and caregivers can explore their experiences, emotions, and needs.
• Integrate this model into existing Barnahus recovery services and referral systems.

Participants also gain access to an international learning community, supervision from Protect Children specialists, and the latest insights into evolving threats (e.g. CSAM, online grooming) based on Protect Children’s partnerships with global law enforcement.

This trauma‑informed programme supports parents and caregivers whose children have been subjected to sexual violence.  

What is included: 

• 2-days online training
• The You Are Enough™ model manual
• 1-yearlicense to run groups, which includes ongoing supervision from Protect Children

Training provided by Protect Children Finland

The training is developed and delivered by Protect Children, a leading Finnish child protection organisation with deep expertise in online sexual abuse prevention, trauma-informed care, and caregiver support. Protect Children brings years of clinical, legal, and policy experience into a format that is accessible, rigorous, and adaptable across European Barnahus settings.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

The White paper on forensic child interviewing: research-based recommendations by the European Association of Psychology and Law was published last year and provides seminal guidance on key questions around the preparation and execution of investigative interviews with children. It consists of evidence-based recommendations. It was jointly drafted by researchers in child interviewing active within the European Association of Psychology and Law. The recommendations are focused on cases in which children are interviewed in forensic settings, in particular within investigations of child sexual and/or physical abuse. One purpose of the white paper is to assist the growing Barnahus movement in Europe to develop investigative practise that is science-based.

A forthcoming webinar with select authors will welcome Barnahus Network Members to learn more about what each of the recommendations are and discuss how the recommendations can be applied both in your practice and in general in the Barnahus Network.

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

Dates: Planned for October 2025

Cost: TBD, will be at full cost with invites first to network members and associate members. Approximate cost is 1,800 EUR per person for the core training, with supervision and interpretation (if relevant) at an additional cost.

By popular demand, coming soon…

The Barnahus Network and The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI), in collaboration with the Implemendez project, hosted webinar workshop to review a draft guidance for investigative interviews with child suspects.

Child suspects occupy a uniquely vulnerable and legally sensitive position. They are simultaneously:

• Holders of strong fair trial rights, including the right to silence and protection against self-incrimination,
• Developmentally vulnerable individuals at heightened risk of coercion, misunderstanding, and false confession and with developing decision-making capacities,
• Potentially in need of protection, welfare intervention, or therapeutic support, including possibly being coerced into committing the crime they are suspected of,
• Required to take part in a criminal justice process which often mostly follow adult-oriented procedures.

This webinar will examined best-practice interviewing in the context of child suspects. The fundament for developing recommendations in this context is based on the Mendez principles and recommendations of best practice for interviewing child victims and witnesses. However, applying these requires careful consideration of the particular vulnerabilities of the group in questions, for instance:

• Tensions between rapport-building and social support vs preventing coercion,
• How to reconcile “accuracy” ground rules with the right not to self-incriminate,
• National practices,
• To what extent guidance for child suspects should differ structurally from victim protocols.

Agenda

A rights-based perspective
Presenting the unique position of child suspects in investigative interviews.
Olivia Lind Haldorsson – Barnahus Network

A practitioner’s perspective 
Presenting current practice in Finland, and also what knowledge and guidance that investigative interviewers currently are lacking.
Saara Asmundela, Finnish Police Board

A draft guidance for interviews with child suspects 
Presenting a draft protocol for interviewing child suspects, along with introducing existing guidance and research. 
Julia Korkman, Heuni and Åbo Akademi University, with commentary from ass. professor Miet Vanderhallen, University of Maastricht and Antwerp University.

Results from the survey on this topic 
Shawnna von Blixen-Finecke, Barnahus Network

Discussion. Additional feedback if not covered during the meeting is welcome via email. 

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

About: This training introduced a comprehensive guide for Barnahus seeking to implement interagency case management effectively. Participants gained insights into establishing formal procedures, conducting child-centred case planning, and maintaining continuous case reviews — all while ensuring the child’s voice remains central throughout the process. The training was presented by the author of the toolkit, Emma Harewood. 

Read the toolkit to get acquainted with practical tools, case examples, and clear frameworks provide actionable guidance for improving interagency collaboration, reducing (re)traumatisation, and promoting more effective support for child victims.

Recommended reading:

Format: During the training you will explore the four chapters in the toolkit and be invited to consider how your Barnahus service is meeting the standards against a helpful checklist. You’ll have an opportunity to discuss these topics in small groups, and to network with your colleagues from around Europe.

Who can attend: This training is for Barnahus network members. 

Language: the training is offered in English. You are welcome to bring an interpreter to this event, we can set it up so it works seamlessly in Zoom. 

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

This training is provided with EU co-funding by the PROMISE Elpis project.

About this training: Join to learn about the current draft of the new Barnahus Quality Standard 11 on child protection, and to explore practical applications of the standard in Barnahus.

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), in close collaboration with the Barnahus Network, is currently developing a new Barnahus Quality Standard on child protection, in the context of an EU co-funded project called Promise Soteria. 

The Barnahus Quality standards were developed through a collaborative process in 2017 in the context of the first Promise project, and can be found here. It has been a longstanding priority of the CBSS and the Barnahus Network to develop a standard to guide practice in Barnahus concerning child protection, which is an important aspect of the multidisciplinary interventions in Barnahus. The work to develop the standard began early 2024 and has so far been informed by a survey, a mapping, as well as written and oral consultations with members of the Barnahus Network.

The standard is still under consultation and is slated to be finalised in time for the Barnahus Forum June 2025, where discussions will start on defining indicators and identifying examples of good practice to include.

Recommended reading: March 2025 draft of the Child Protection Standard

Who should join: Barnahus staff and related stakeholders who provide measures and structures to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence affecting children.

Format: Participants should come prepared to participate in a seminar style training, and to share how they are working with the topics.

Language: the training is offered in English. You are welcome to bring an interpreter to this event, we can set it up so it works seamlessly in Zoom. 

Registration: This training will run twice! Both sessions will cover the same information. Pick one:

• Register for the morning session 8:00 – 11:00 CET, or
• register for the afternoon session 13:00 to 16:00 CET

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

Instructors: Linda Jonsson and Anette Birgerson

Agenda:

• Introducing the draft Child Protection Standard – CBSS
• Seminar on practical applications – Linda Jonsson and Anette Birgersson
• Small group discussions
• Summing up
• 10-minute breaks about once per hour

Meet the instructors:

Linda Jonsson holds a PhD in child psychiatry. She has been working in social services and child psychiatry in Sweden and with responsibility for issues related to sexual abuse and exploitation at the Swedish national competence centre against child abuse, Barnafrid. Her research covers all forms of child abuse, especially sexual exploitation and online sexual abuse. Linda is currently an associate professor in social work at Marie Cederschiöld College, and engages in various expert and consulting roles in Sweden.  

Anette Birgersson is a social worker, licensed psychotherapist, keynote speaker, presenter and educator with a focus on sexual abuse and trauma. Her aim is to increase the knowledge around trauma, sexual abuse and therapeutic approach using DBT and. Anette collaborates with therapists, practitioners and researchers in Europe, the USA, and Australia. https://abirgersson.se/

This training is provided with EU co-funding.

Instructors: Dr Julia Korkman & Dr Malin Joleby

Who should join: Child forensic interviewers and Barnahus personnel

Time: 10:00 to 12:00 CET

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

About the training: Modern digital technology has created new opportunities for perpetrators to sexually exploit children, leading to a significant rise in online child sexual abuse crimes globally. As with other forms of child sexual abuse, children may find it difficult to disclose their experiences. This and other aspects of the online nature of the crimes have implications for how children should be encountered and interviewed in the forensic setting. This training will provide:

• A summary of the current research on children’s disclosures of online CSA experiences.
• An understanding of the different forms of online child sexual abuse.
• Insights into recent studies on how children themselves wish to be heard.
• Challenges faced by legal practitioners and the potential impact of forensic interviews on children’s well-being. 
• Suggestions for conducting victim-sensitive interviews when investigating online child sexual abuse cases using an adapted version of the well-established NICHD-R protocol, specifically modified for the unique challenges of online child sexual abuse cases.

Format: The training will consist of two lectures of 1 ca 45 minutes each, followed by commentaries by practicing police officer and Q&A.

Language: the training is offered in English. You are welcome to bring an interpreter to this event, we can set it up so it works seamlessly in Zoom. 

Agenda: 

• 10:00 CET (9:00 Finnish) – Introduction from the Barnahus network 
• 10:15 – Lecture 
• 10:45 – Break 
• 11:00 – Lecture 
• 11:30 – Practitioner reflections – from Maria Hietajärvi, Detective Chief Inspector, Crimes Against Children Unit, Western Uusimaa Police Department
• 11:40 – Q&A, discussion 
• 12:00 – End 

Meet the instructors: 

Dr Julia Korkman is a Senior Programme Officer at HEUNI (The European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations) as well as Professor of Practice with the Faculty of Law, and Adjunct Professor in Legal Psychology at Åbo Akademi and co-leads the legal psychology research group LePÅ at Åbo Akademi. She is specialized memory in the legal context and has conducted research on among other things investigative interviewing, decision making in legal contexts, investigating alleged cases of crimes against children, eyewitness identifications, factors associated with rape victims’ tendencies to make police reports, psychological coercion in court cases of human trafficking, and asylum processes as co-PI of the research group PsychAID. At HEUNI, Dr Korkman is responsible for the planning and implementation of HEUNI’s EU and other international and national projects, especially regarding the rights of victims of crime, virtual justice, and developing the criminal justice process in an evidence-based and humane way. Julia is the current president of the European Association of Psychology and Law and a member of several other expert networks. She has received several prices for her work, including the Academic Excellence Award by the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (iIIRG), the Science Communication Prize 2025 by The Finnish Association of Science Editors and Journalists and the Finland-Swedish Psychologist of the Year Award 2025 by the Finnish Psychological Association. In 2022 she authored the popular-scientific book Memory dependent (Fi: Muistin varassa, SWE: Minnets makt) about the role of memory in legal processes, which has been widely acclaimed and also received several awards. Julia is also a performing and recording singer who occasionally also sings about crimes.

Malin Joleby, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher and research group leader in the Rahm/Joleby research group at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Her main areas of expertise are forensic psychology, developmental psychology, and psychiatry, with a specialization in research on sexual abuse. Dr. Joleby works on both perpetrator prevention and victimology. She plays a key role in the Prevent It treatment program, aimed at individuals at risk of committing sexual offenses against children, and leads studies on the psychological impact of technology-assisted child sexual abuse. She is also involved in research on forensic interviews with preschoolers and children witnessing domestic violence.  Her doctoral dissertation was recognized as “Dissertation of the Year” at the Department of Psychology, University of Gothenburg, and she has been nominated for the Swedish National Committee’s award for young researchers in psychology.

This training is provided with EU co-funding by the PROMISE Elpis project.

Time: 09:30-16:00 CET

Announcing an interactive online training on transnational child protection cases, featuring Rebecca O’Donnell from Child Circle.

This training will introduce guidance and tools for professionals working across borders to safeguard children’s rights.

What are transnational child protection cases?
Child protection concerns arise when a child is suffering, or at risk of suffering, from violence, abuse, neglect or exploitation. Transnational cases arise when more than one country is relevant to measures to be taken on the protection of the child. They include asylum and migration, criminal justice, trafficking, family and child welfare and missing children cases.

Who is the training for?
Professionals involved in transnational child protection cases, including policy makers; agencies & stakeholders working on improving the system and building resources; practitioners working on improving practices.

What to Expect

• Expert insights: Learn from specialists about international and European legal frameworks, issues and challenges in transnational child protection cases
• Practical tools: Explore key resources and tools in different cases
• Collaborative discussions: Exchange with professionals from different countries and sectors on how better to fulfil children’s rights

Agenda: To be announced

Cost: Free for Network Members and Associate Members

This training is offered as part of an EU co-funded project supporting inclusive and resilient child protection systems, led by the Council of the Baltic Sea States with partners from Child Circle and Marie Cedershöld University.

12 June – 9:30 to 17:00

13 June – 9:30 to lunch

By invitation only