Side-by-Side is an ESN-led project, funded by the EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme which aims to increase the knowledge on adequate social services responses on effective integrated mechanisms to prevent violence against children and to reinforce child protection services in European countries.
The first strand of the project involves four national study visits to four innovative projects on preventing violence against children to raise awareness of existing good practices on integrated prevention models to fight violence against children.
The second strand will be an assessment of child protection professionals and practitioners’ knowledge gaps and training needs to suggest future training to increase their capacity to act in line with international standards on preventing violence against children.
Both strands will result into a compendium of good practices and a training needs assessment report. These two outputs were promoted during two dedicated webinars scheduled at the end of the project in September 2024.
ESN is responsible for the overall project management, the design and delivery of the study visits, and making sure that all outputs are delivered on time and with good quality. ESN will ensure the production of the good practice and training needs assessment reports as well as the organisation of the two webinars.
The first study visit was hosted by Tusla Child & Family Agency and took place on September 27th and 28th. Tusla introduced the national ‘Meitheal’ program, designed to support children and families who require assistance from multiple services. The second study visit occurred in Lille from November 30th to December 1st, hosted by our project partner, Departement du Nord. They presented the French legislative framework for integrated child protection, highlighting its translation into preventive measures and cross-sector collaboration. Specifically, the visit delved into two vital components of the French child protection system: the maternal and child protection service (PMI) and the unit responsible for gathering concerning information (CRIP).
The third study visit took place on the 12th/13th of March and hosted by the Youth and Family Office, City of Graz, Austria. They provided an overview of a resource-based and community-oriented approach in child protection where a significant number of private service providers are integrated into this multi-functional approach to secure the well-being of children, youths and families.
The fourth and final study visit, hosted by SOS Children’s Villages Italy, took place in Milan. It focused on preventing and responding to peer-to-peer violence. Participants learnt about the ‘Applying Safe Behaviours’ project, and through a participatory and interactive workshop, the importance of embedding peer-to-peer violence in child safeguarding systems was assessed.
For further information, contact Stefanos Michelakakis, Junior Project Officer at projects@esn-eu.org