PROMISE ELPIS. Adapting multidisciplinary response and interagency collaboration to meet the specific needs and requirements arising in the context of child sexual violence online
The PROMISE-Barnahus network is dedicated to promoting child-friendly justice and expanding access to safe recovery paths for children who have experienced online sexual violence.
Leveraging extensive collective experience in promoting and implementing best practices in Barnahus, the PROMISE ELPIS project advocates for multidisciplinary and interagency models supporting child victims and witnesses of sexual violence. The project places particular emphasis on specialized interventions and practice excellence in cases with a presumed online component of sexual violence.
The overall objective is to ensure early identification, adequate assistance, protection and access to child-friendly justice, with specific emphasis on cases where online technology is an integral element to the abuse.
The main activities of the project are:
a) the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of protocols and procedures adapted to the specific requirements and needs that may arise in the context of online sexual violence against children, and
b) the implementation of training in relation to
- the development of multidisciplinary teams and inter-agency cooperation in cases of online child sexual violence;
- and specialized interventions, including investigations, medical and therapeutic interventions, crisis support and victim support.
HEUNI’s role in the project focuses on the criminal justice process and aims to provide criminal justice actors and in particular law enforcement with skills and adapted interviewing tools to ensure the criminal justice process is sensitive to the needs of the children involved. In particular, HEUNI will be working on developing an adapted interview protocol for investigating online sexual abuse cases, with the aim of focusing on information that is relevant for the criminal justice process and at the same time as child-friendly as possible. PROMISE ELPIS will promote this interview protocol and provide training possibilities to professionals involved. The interview protocol and related trainings builds on both scientific research, experiences by professionals and the views of the implicated children.
The target group of the project include professionals in law enforcement, judicial authorities, social services, mental and physical health services. While the project specifically targets professionals who practice in Barnahus, it is relevant, and will welcome the involvement of professionals who wish to enhance their skills and knowhow to work in a multidisciplinary team, and to implement evidence- based practice in support of victims of in the context of online child sexual violence.
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