Joint European Union-Council of Europe Child-friendly Justice Project

Phase I: January 2024 – June 2026

Phase II: July 2026 – June 2028

What is the project?

The joint European Union - the Council of Europe Child-friendly Justice project aims to improve the protection of children in contact with the law – as offenders, victims or witnesses in non-judicial, judicial (such as civil and criminal cases) and administrative proceedings – across Europe at national and local level.

Aligned with the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee and the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), the project strives to ensure that children’s rights are not only recognised but actively upheld throughout their interactions with the justice system. It supports national justice systems in implementing the Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on child-friendly justice, guaranteeing the respect for all children’s rights at the highest attainable level before, during and after judicial proceedings.

Phase I of the project (January 2024 - June 2026) focused on the development of the Council of Europe’s Child-friendly Justice Assessment Tool to support the implementation of the Guidelines on child-friendly justice, and its roll-out in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia, with Greece, Hungary and Portugal acting as partner countries.

Phase II (July 2026 – June 2028) seeks to scale up the implementation of the Assessment Tool, while raising awareness of children in contact with the law and their caregivers on diversion and child-friendly alternatives to detention, restorative justice, and prevention of first offence and recidivism.

France and Greece have been selected as focus countries to pilot the implementation of activities at national and local levels to collect data, identify gaps, improve legislation, policies, and practices.

Italy and the Slovak Republic have joined the second phase as project partners.

The project is co-funded by the European Commission/DG Justice and Consumers and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Children’s Rights Division of the Council of Europe.

Project news

Back Empowering children’s voices: child rights awareness raising sessions in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia

Maia MAMULASHVILI

Modified 8 Months ago.

Empowering children’s voices: child rights awareness raising sessions in Belgium, Poland and Slovenia

As part of the joint European Union – Council of Europe Child-friendly Justice project, a series of 13 child-led awareness-raising sessions took place across Poland, Slovenia and Belgium between November and December 2025, marking an important step forward in ensuring that children’s voices are central in discussions about justice systems that concern them.

In the three countries, a total of 215 participants – 139 adults (justice professionals, educators, caregivers) and 76 children and young people - attended the sessions to deepen their understanding of the rights of children in contact with the law before, during and after judicial and non-judicial proceedings.

The sessions, designed and delivered with children, focused on their experiences and insights of being in contact with the justice system. Their active participation offered an authentic and compelling perspective on the challenges they face, the gaps in support they encounter, and the rights that must be safeguarded at every stage of the process.

Children and young facilitators were supported throughout by DCI Belgium and the international child participation expert Cath Larkins, who provided technical guidance and methodological assistance, thus ensuring that each session was child-friendly, rights-based and grounded in participatory practice.

This initiative forms part of a broader effort to strengthen child-friendly justice systems and promote meaningful child participation in judicial and non-judicial proceedings in Europe. By placing children at the centre of these conversations, the project highlights the importance of empowering children to speak about their rights and ensuring that adults are ready to listen.

Joint Child-friendly Justice Project Strasbourg 17 December 2025

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What do we aim to achieve?

Strengthening legal and policy frameworks

Through the roll-out of the Council of Europe’s Child-Friendly Justice Assessment Tool, recommendations to adapt the legislative and policy framework in line with the Council of Europe’s and European Union’s standards related to child-friendly justice will be formulated.

Final self-assessment on child-friendly justice in Belgium (in French)
Final Conclusions and Recommendations for Belgium (in French and Dutch)
Final self-assessment on child-friendly justice in Slovenia
Final self-assessment on child-friendly justice in Poland (in English and in Polish)
Child-Friendly Justice Assessment Tool (in English, French, Slovenian, Dutch, Polish)
The State of Child-Friendly Justice in Europe: A Handbook
Child-friendly version of the Child-Friendly Justice Assessment Tool - animation and guidance note

Capacity building

Capacities of specialised staff with respect to child-friendly procedures will be strengthened with the support of the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals Programme (HELP) that includes a specific course on child-friendly justice.

Child-friendly Justice | HELP Programme (in English and in Slovenian)

Awareness raising

Awareness of children in contact with the law and their parents will be raised on children’s rights before, during and after judicial proceedings. A particular attention will be paid to parents/guardians with potential vulnerabilities such as disabilities, psychosocial distress, parents/guardians in contact with the law, etc.

Awareness-raising materials developed with children from Belgium, Poland and Slovenia

Who do we work with?

In France and Greece, our focus countries, we will work hand-in-hand with key decision makers and professionals. This will include collaboration with Ministries of Justice, legislators, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, law enforcement officers, social workers, psychologists, and child protection professionals. Through their combined expertise and collaborative efforts, the project will aim to identify areas for improvement and implement changes in legislation, policies, and practices at the national and local levels.

Who will benefit from the project?

The project targets legislators, parliamentarians, judges, prosecutors, lawyers, members of the police, bar associations, social services, psychologists, mediators, and professionals working with and for children in contact with the law. The target group also includes children in contact with the law and their parents. The ultimate beneficiaries are children, families, and civil society.