On August 17, 2022, Steen Nørlov, Head of Office, Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the coordination of cooperation programmes of the Council of Europe, took part in the round table "Implementation of the Barnahus model in Ukraine: current results and prospects".

The purpose of the event was the presentation of the results of the implementation of the project "Implementation of the Barnahus model for the protection of child victims of violence", discussion of the prepared work, problematic issues that arose during the implementation of the project, as well as further steps regarding the implementation of Barnahus centres in Ukraine.

In his welcoming speech, Steen Nørlov, on behalf of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, state institutions and all involved state authorities for the continued implementation of the Barnahus model in Ukraine, as well as partners with UNICEF. He marked that this activity is of particular importance in the context of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. The war caused an acute crisis in the field of child protection.

"We hope that the Council of Europe's contribution has added value to the development of the Barnahus model in Ukraine. Barnahus Standards are recommended by the Council of Europe Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice. In addition, the Barnahus model is recognised by the Lanzarote Committee as an example of good practice for a child-friendly multi-disciplinary response to violence," emphasised Steen Nørlov, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine. He underlined that implementing these Guidelines and other aspects of child-friendly justice are among the key priorities of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child for 2016-2021. To support the implementation of this model in Ukraine, the Council of Europe has developed a number of materials and tools within the past two years, including the following:

• Progress Assessment Report on the Recommendations of the Gap Analysis of Legislation, Policies, and Practices to Prevent and Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Ukraine. This report was presented in September 2020 at the Round Table organised by the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement in cooperation with the Council of Europe Project "Combating violence against children in Ukraine".
• Analysis of the legal framework in Ukraine regarding the implementation of the Barnahus model done by the request of the Inter-Agency Coordination Council on Juvenile Justice as regards the implementation of the Barnahus model in Ukraine.
• Methodological Guidelines on Investigative Interviewing of Children. The team of Council of Europe experts developed comprehensive guidelines based on the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol. It is a structured protocol for professionals conducting forensic interviews with children. The Methodological Guidelines present a practical tool that considers international and national best practices in the protection and safety of children victims or witnesses of violence and child offenders. The publication is intended for professionals from law enforcement agencies, providers of social services, educators, lawyers, psychologists, students, postgraduates, and representatives of civil society organisations.

Steen Nørlov informed that the Council of Europe is currently implementing a project "Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase IIІ" as a follow-up action to the previous Council of Europe project "Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase II" implemented in 2020-2021. In accordance with the Priority adjustments to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022 and due to the military aggression of the Russian Federation, the Project Workplan was adopted accordingly and foresees the actions on the protection of rights of children affected by the war in Ukraine.

Among the activities which can contribute to the implementation of the Barnahus model are:

• Development of the guidelines on documenting violations of children's rights, including crimes of sexual violence, and delivering trainings on this issue;
• Development of updated data collection mechanisms for monitoring children's rights in the context of the Russian military attack on Ukraine based on the existing Council of Europe methodology (as a follow-up activity with Ombudspersons Office);
• Development and conducting trainings on monitoring the rights of the child;
• Development and conducting trainings on psychological support or trauma intervention assistance by developing specific protocols – for phycologists working with children;
• Development and delivery of trainings on social support of children, including children without parental care, unaccompanied children, children who have had to leave care institutions, and children with disabilities – for social workers.

"Council of Europe continues to work towards developing child-friendly practices and providing support to the Ukrainian authorities in upholding children's rights in the country." – emphasised Steen Nørlov, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine.

The round table attended representatives of central executive bodies, members of the Interdepartmental Coordination Council on Juvenile Justice, interested representatives of the judicial corps, law enforcement agencies, the Coordination Center for Legal Aid, representatives of the Council of Europe project "Combating violence against children in Ukraine, Phase IIІ", local authorities, international organisations and public organisations, national experts and other participants.

The event was organised within the framework of the project "Implementation of the Barnahus model for the protection of child victims of violence", which is implemented by the Ukrainian Public Health Foundation, financed by the United Nations Children's Fund Office in Ukraine with the support of the Interagency Coordination Council on Juvenile Justice.