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Last updated 2026-07-21
Tuesday 24 November 2026 · NordEvent Panoramadeck, Emporio, Dammtorwall 15, Hamburg
Saved breakout choices and shared Forum moments.
Show your Luma QR code at the registration desk for faster check-in. Coffee will be available nearby.
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Refreshments will be available.
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In recognition of the potential impact of discussing cases of violence against children, we ask participants to adhere to the following principles to prevent secondary traumatisation:
• Relevance and Necessity – When discussing specific cases, speakers and participants will limit details strictly to those necessary for learning, reflection, and advancing Barnahus practice.
• Health Warnings – Please provide a clear warning before sharing potentially disturbing information, to allow colleagues to make an informed decision about their level of engagement.
• Sensitive and Respectful Communication – All discussions shall ensure the dignity and privacy of those involved in real cases.
• Mutual support – We encourage open dialogue about secondary trauma prevention and how best each participant can promote it. If you need additional support, please speak with one of the organisers.
By following these principles, we aim to create an environment that is safe and constructive for all participants.
Last updated 2026-07-21
Confidentiality of case information - Please keep all information regarding the identity of any child and the circumstances of any case discussed at the forum confidential. If presented during any part of the Forum, it is forbidden to take photos or videos of media pertaining to specific cases, for example evidence of physical violence or recordings of example interviews.
In-person or virtual participation of children - In anticipation that children might be present at the conference, participants are expected to read and follow the Network’s safeguarding policy.
Potential infraction of the policy in connection to the Forum - should be notified to the organisers.
Any additional guidance or policies that may be put in place specifically for this event will be sent closer to the date. Participants are expected to read and follow any such documents.
Last updated 2026-07-21
The organisers will be taking photos and videos during the conference. Sessions in the plenary room may be recorded or live streamed.
The organisers reserve the right to use pictures and videos taken during the Forum on social media and/or other communication materials. We are not responsible for individual attendee use of your image or likeness.
For any concerns, please contact svb AT barnahus.eu.
Last updated 2026-07-21
We ask participants to neither take nor post photos of children who are at the event unless given explicit consent.
Even with consent, please carefully consider the ethics and risks involved.
Images of children and young people can play an important role in raising awareness of children’s rights and needs. They can empower children and give them a voice. Images can also be powerful tools to communicate violations of children’s rights. They can change how we think about conflicts, disasters, famine, violence against children, homelessness etc. and encourage public support for a call to act. More positively, they can also communicate hope, progress and successful interventions to protect children and help raise much needed funds to advance children’s rights.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Members are invited to propose sessions that help peers learn from their own practice and research: workshops, implementation stories, tools, panels, or problem-solving exchanges.
Submit your proposalLast updated 2026-07-11
Members have been invited to submit visualisations of their Barnahus pathways. See examples of pathways at this link: https://bit.ly/BH_pathway
Submit your pathwayPayment is handled securely by Stripe. The notebook is for collection at the Forum only. Shipping is not available.
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Last updated 2026-07-11
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Programme last updated 2026-07-21 · NordEvent Panoramadeck, Emporio, Dammtorwall 15, Hamburg
Show your Luma QR code at the registration desk for faster check-in. Coffee will be available nearby.
Refreshments will be available.
Last updated 2026-07-21
In recognition of the potential impact of discussing cases of violence against children, we ask participants to adhere to the following principles to prevent secondary traumatisation:
• Relevance and Necessity – When discussing specific cases, speakers and participants will limit details strictly to those necessary for learning, reflection, and advancing Barnahus practice.
• Health Warnings – Please provide a clear warning before sharing potentially disturbing information, to allow colleagues to make an informed decision about their level of engagement.
• Sensitive and Respectful Communication – All discussions shall ensure the dignity and privacy of those involved in real cases.
• Mutual support – We encourage open dialogue about secondary trauma prevention and how best each participant can promote it. If you need additional support, please speak with one of the organisers.
By following these principles, we aim to create an environment that is safe and constructive for all participants.
Last updated 2026-07-21
Confidentiality of case information - Please keep all information regarding the identity of any child and the circumstances of any case discussed at the forum confidential. If presented during any part of the Forum, it is forbidden to take photos or videos of media pertaining to specific cases, for example evidence of physical violence or recordings of example interviews.
In-person or virtual participation of children - In anticipation that children might be present at the conference, participants are expected to read and follow the Network’s safeguarding policy.
Potential infraction of the policy in connection to the Forum - should be notified to the organisers.
Any additional guidance or policies that may be put in place specifically for this event will be sent closer to the date. Participants are expected to read and follow any such documents.
Last updated 2026-07-21
The organisers will be taking photos and videos during the conference. Sessions in the plenary room may be recorded or live streamed.
The organisers reserve the right to use pictures and videos taken during the Forum on social media and/or other communication materials. We are not responsible for individual attendee use of your image or likeness.
For any concerns, please contact svb AT barnahus.eu.
Last updated 2026-07-21
We ask participants to neither take nor post photos of children who are at the event unless given explicit consent.
Even with consent, please carefully consider the ethics and risks involved.
Images of children and young people can play an important role in raising awareness of children’s rights and needs. They can empower children and give them a voice. Images can also be powerful tools to communicate violations of children’s rights. They can change how we think about conflicts, disasters, famine, violence against children, homelessness etc. and encourage public support for a call to act. More positively, they can also communicate hope, progress and successful interventions to protect children and help raise much needed funds to advance children’s rights.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Members are invited to propose sessions that help peers learn from their own practice and research: workshops, implementation stories, tools, panels, or problem-solving exchanges.
Submit your proposalLast updated 2026-07-11
Members have been invited to submit visualisations of their Barnahus pathways. See examples of pathways at this link: https://bit.ly/BH_pathway
Submit your pathwayDirector General of Iceland’s National Agency for Children and Families, and member of the CBSS Expert Group on Children at Risk
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit has been a driving force behind Barnahus – at home and abroad. She joined Barnahus Iceland in 2001, specialising in forensic child interviewing, drawing on her academic background in pedagogy, criminology, and family therapy to make children’s voices count in court.
As Director of Barnahus Iceland (2007–2021) she steered both clinical practice and day‑to‑day operations, turning Barnahus Iceland into a benchmark that continues to inspire the organisation and practice of similar services across Europe.
On that foundation, Ólöf is one of the Europe’s most sought-after experts in multidisciplinary interagency services for children who are or who may be victims of violence. She has hosted countless international trainings and study visits, mentored emerging teams, and advised legislators across the continent.
Since 2015 she has been a core contributor to the tools and guidance developed and promoted by the CBSS and the Barnahus Network, including the Barnahus Quality Standards, which support members to make incremental progress towards achieving the Network’s vision of a Europe where all children enjoy their right to be protected from violence. She was furthermore a co-signatory of the statutes that formalised the Barnahus Network in 2019.
Today, as Director General of Iceland’s National Agency for Children and Families, she oversees nationwide child‑protection policy and continues to champion integrated services that put children at the centre of public services. A sought‑after speaker at Council of Europe, EU and global forums, she shares 25 years of experience on making child‑friendly justice a reality.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Head of the Children at Risk unit at the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Secretary General of the Barnahus Network
Olivia Lind Haldorsson is a children’s rights advocate with nearly 30 years of experience in the field. She currently serves as Senior Adviser and Head of the Children at Risk Unit at the Council of the Baltic Sea States, where she leads regional efforts on integrated, resilient child protection systems. She is also the Secretary General of the Barnahus Network.
As the author of the Barnahus Quality Standards and other practical tools, she has shaped how states meet their legal obligations to provide justice, protection, and recovery to children who are or may be victims of violence. She has further been central to many projects that provided momentum for the establishment of Barnahus throughout Europe.
Ms Lind Haldorsson holds a master’s degree in international relations and European Studies from the University of Kent. Her professional background is marked by strategic advocacy for child-friendly, multidisciplinary services, including serving as the Director of Save the Children International’s EU Office in Brussels and co-founding Child Circle, a Brussels-based NGO focusing on strengthening national child protection systems.
Last updated 2026-07-11
The Lighthouse, London
Eimear TIMMONS is a seasoned social work professional with over 30 years’ experience in child protection and children’s services. She is the Practice Development Manager at The Lighthouse in London, the UK’s first Barnahus-style Children’s House for young survivors of sexual abuse. In this role, Eimear draws on her extensive background as a frontline social worker and team manager to ensure a child-centred, trauma-informed approach. She has been pivotal in integrating social care with medical, therapeutic, and police services under one roof, improving experiences and outcomes for child victims. Her expertise encompasses multidisciplinary interagency coordination, court processes, and implementing the Barnahus Quality Standards in practice. Eimear is also active in training and sharing best practices internationally to help other regions establish similar child-friendly, multidisciplinary responses to child abuse.
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Save the Children, Spain
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Barnahus Linköping, Sweden
Helena ASPLUND CARLQVIST is a clinical psychologist at Barnahus Linköping and a specialist in psychological treatment and psychotherapy in Sweden. In her role at one of Sweden’s flagship Barnahus, Helena provides crisis support to children and families immediately after abuse disclosures, conducts in-depth trauma assessments, and delivers therapeutic services. She is also a trainer of educating social service staff on trauma and how to respond to child victims. Helena completed a specialist study on children’s and parents’ experiences of the Barnahus process in Linköping, using those findings to improve practice. She has previously worked at Barnafrid (the national knowledge centre for Sweden), where she contributed to national Barnahus training programs and materials.
Last updated 2026-07-11
University of Bedfordshire, England
Camille WARRINGTON is a leading UK researcher specialising in children’s rights, child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), and participatory research methods. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Bedfordshire’s Institute of Applied Social Research, where she has pioneered work involving young people in shaping welfare and justice services to respond to abuse. Camille’s expertise centres on amplifying the voices of young survivors – her Ph.D. research examined how sexually exploited youth can be more involved in decisions about their care. She has over 15 years of experience in qualitative and creative research, often partnering with charities to ensure findings translate into practice improvements. Camille was a co-investigator on the landmark “Our Voices” project, promoting child participation in CSE services across Europe. Most recently, Camille has played a leading role in evaluating Scotland’s first Barnahus (‘Bairns’ Hoose), and the early development of three additional ‘Bairns’ Hoose’ Pathfinder sites.
Last updated 2026-07-11
The Lighthouse, London, England
Clementine ANDERSON is Consultant Social Worker The Lighthouse. A registered social worker with more than a decade’s experience in safeguarding and sexual-violence advocacy, Clementine leads the Lighthouse’s Child & Family Practitioner team (including Social Workers and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors), overseeing referral pathways, risk assessment, and ongoing support for children and families affected by sexual abuse. She has also been involved with co-designing a new evaluation tool that captures children’s views and experiences on their justice journey. Clementine regularly delivers training to police officers, social care staff, and health professionals on trauma-informed practice and child-centred engagement, and she has presented at UK and European forums on embedding meaningful child participation in service evaluation. Her practice blends frontline insight with a strong commitment to ensuring that children’s lived experiences directly shape improvements in Barnahus.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Childhood Haus Berlin, Charité University Hospital
Gina-Melissa SEMRAU is a research assistant at Childhood-Haus Berlin at Charité University Hospital. Since 2022, she has been contributing her expertise in psychology, with a focus on legal psychology, and is currently in advanced training as a child and adolescent psychotherapist. Her particular focus (and topic of her dissertation) is on the participation of children and adolescents and the implementation of joint research projects at German Childhood-Häuser (Barnahus)- including the development of standardised basic documentation. She has been actively involved in international collaborations to adapt Barnahus to emerging challenges – for example, contributing to the EU-funded PROMISE Elpis project which focuses on tailoring Barnahus processes to cases of online sexual violence. Gina shares Germany’s experiences through research and speaking engagements, helping to advance best practices in child protection and inspire the growth of similar services across Europe.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Child Circle and Barnahus Network Steering Group member
Rebecca O’DONNELL is an Irish barrister who has been working in Brussels for over twenty years. She is a Founding Member and the Director of Child Circle, a European NGO that strengthens child protection policy and practice. Rebecca has played a central role as a legal adviser to Promise from its inception in 2014/15, connecting Barnahus standards and practice with EU legal obligations and policy recommendations.
With over 20 years’ experience in EU law and advocacy, O’Donnell specialises in areas like child-friendly justice, children in migration, and cross border protection. She is also currently the senior EU policy adviser to the European Guardianship Network. She previously served as Senior Child Protection Adviser at Save the Children’s EU Office, and was a partner in an international law firm focusing on EU law. Rebecca has contributed to influential projects on Barnahus.
An experienced strategist and author of legal analyses, O’Donnell is dedicated to ensuring that systems of justice and child protection uphold children’s rights and welfare at every step.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Empowering Children Foundation, Poland, and Barnahus Network Steering Group member
Maria KELLER-HAMELA is a clinical psychologist and one of Poland’s foremost child protection experts. Since 1996, she has been working at the Empowering Children Foundation – formerly the Nobody’s Children Foundation – where she served for many years as Vice President of the Board. Maria has dedicated her career to preventing child abuse and improving responses for victims.
She holds a psychology degree from the University of Warsaw and is certified in family violence prevention. Maria has pioneered child forensic interviewing techniques in Poland and in Eastern Europe, has trained judges, prosecutors, police officers, and therapists nationwide and abroad.
Internationally, she has been coordinating for many years projects across Eastern Europe “Childhood without violence – towards the better child protection system” and is active in EU Barnahus initiatives, sharing her expertise to establish child-friendly services. She is the member of the editorial board of the scientific quarterly Child Abuse: Theory, Research, Practice.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Tusla, Ireland and Barnahus Network Steering Group member
Fiona GERAGHTY is an Irish social work leader serving as the Manager of Barnahus South in Cork under Tusla – Ireland’s Child and Family Agency. In this role, she oversees one of Ireland’s first Barnahus pilot services. Geraghty represents Tusla on the European Barnahus Network Steering Group, contributing her on-the-ground insights to the international Barnahus community. She previously worked as a Principal Social Worker in Cork and has a deep understanding of Ireland’s child protection system.
Fiona has been instrumental in adapting Barnahus to the Irish context – establishing interagency protocols, training specialised staff, and ensuring services are child-friendly. Her work is helping to pave the way for a national rollout of Barnahus so that all children in Ireland have access to these one-stop, child-centred services.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Marie Cederschiöld University, Sweden
Linda JONSSON is a Swedish researcher and clinical expert specialising in child sexual abuse and exploitation. She holds a Ph.D. in child psychiatry and is an Associate Professor of social work, currently lecturing and researching at Marie Cederschiöld University.
Jonsson’s career spans roles as head of the sexual abuse unit at Barnafrid (Sweden’s national knowledge center on violence against children) and as the European Barnahus competence centre coordinator for the Barnahus Network at the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Her research focuses on online exploitation, impact of trauma, and improving therapeutic interventions for child victims. Linda has published extensively, and has helped develop a Barnahus Quality Standard on child protection.
She is actively involved in international Barnahus initiatives, ensuring that practice is informed by the latest evidence.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Tusla, Ireland
Julie O’DONNELL is a social worker who leads Barnahus development at Ireland’s Child and Family Agency (Tusla). Qualified in 2000, she has over two decades of experience in statutory child protection services. Julie has served as social work team leader and principal social worker, and was recently appointed National General Manager for Tusla Barnahus. She holds postgraduate qualifications in public management and leadership. She is also involved in training (e.g.
at University of Galway) and has been a key contributor to Ireland’s Barnahus pilot in Galway. Julie’s leadership is driving the rollout of child-friendly, multiagency centres so that Irish children only have to tell their story as few times as necessary, and in a safe environment.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Marie Cederschiöld University, Sweden
Anette BIRGERSSON is a Swedish trauma therapist and internationally recognised trainer in evidence-based therapies for abused children. A qualified social worker and licensed psychotherapist, she has over 20 years’ experience working with children and adolescents impacted by sexual abuse and trauma. Anette is a certified trainer and supervisor in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for youth.
She founded SkillsClinic in Sweden, and frequently serves as a keynote speaker and educator across Europe, Australia, and the US. Anette’s mission is to improve practitioners’ understanding of trauma and to spread effective therapeutic approaches within Barnahus and similar services. She collaborates with Barnahus teams to implement therapeutic approaches and has been involved in the Barnahus Network’s capacity-building (for example, delivering TF-CBT courses to clinicians).
With her engaging style and deep expertise, Anette Birgersson has trained hundreds of professionals, ultimately helping to ensure child victims receive compassionate, skilled therapy on their road to healing.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Children First, Scotland
Mary GLASGOW is the Chief Executive of Children First, Scotland’s national children’s charity, and a driving force behind the country’s implementation of Barnahus in Scotland (known locally as “Bairns’ Hoose”). Under her leadership, Children First established Scotland’s first Bairns’ Hoose in North Strathclyde. Mary has over three decades of experience in children’s services and has championed transformational change in how the justice and care systems respond to abuse.
She works closely with government, academia, and partners (like Victim Support Scotland and police/judicial authorities) to test and develop the Barnahus approach in the Scottish context. Mary is a vocal advocate for children’s rights: she emphasises that children should be able to give evidence and heal from trauma without enduring the harm of traditional court processes. Internationally, she shares Scotland’s journey and encourages bold, rights-based reforms.
Through her vision and advocacy, the Bairns’ Hoose has already supported hundreds of children and influenced plans to roll out Scotland’s approach nationally.
Last updated 2026-07-11
The Havens
Briony Arrowsmith brings specialist clinical and service experience from The Havens, with a focus on medical responses for children and young people after sexual abuse.
Her contribution connects medical care, trauma-informed practice, and coordinated multidisciplinary support.
Last updated 2026-07-11
The Lighthouse
Dr Anna Uwagboe brings specialist medical expertise from The Lighthouse, with a focus on child-centred health responses after abuse.
Her work contributes to practical discussions about integrating medical care within multidisciplinary services.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Deputy Secretary General, Barnahus Network
Shawnna von BLIXEN-FINECKE is the Deputy Secretary General of the Barnahus Network. She has extensive knowledge of how Barnahus has been adapted in different national contexts, and plays a leading role in coordinating and advising Barnahus initiatives through bilateral support and international exchange.
Shawnna played a central role in developing and coordinating training during various PROMISE and other projects, which were foundational in expanding Barnahus across Europe and strengthening their organisation and practice. An experienced project manager with a background in communications, she previously worked for the U.S. State Department and the European Commission, and holds a master’s in political science from Uppsala University.
Shawnna’s work ensures that best practices and innovations in Barnahus implementation are shared throughout the network, strengthening services for children.
Last updated 2026-07-11
Contribute to this session by submitting a presentation proposal featuring your work, research, and results.
Last updated 2026-07-21