In the frame of the project FOSTER – Fostering Child-Friendly Legal Environments through collaborative networks, co-funded by the EU JUSTICE programme (project number 101160568), training needs assessment (TNA) of lawyers was successfully implemented, aiming at creating a justice system that is more child-friendly and strengthening the effectiveness of legal representation of child victims of crime.
The TNA was conducted from September to December 2024 in four countries – Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia – and was based on literature review and field research. It included an analysis of national legal frameworks and practices with regard to child victim representation, as well as interviews and focus groups with a total of 105 legal professionals (lawyers, judicial officers) and other stakeholders (child protection professionals, health professionals, law enforcement authorities, etc.).
The research in Greece was coordinated by the Centre for European Constitutional Law – Tsatsos Foundation and the Society of Social Psychiatry P. Sakellaropoulos.
The consolidated evaluation report, prepared by the Centre for European Constitutional Law in March 2025, in cooperation with the project partners, highlighted critical areas where the knowledge and skills of lawyers need to be strengthened, with an emphasis on understanding child psychology and improving child friendly communication, taking into account their vulnerability and potential trauma.
Based on the findings of the consolidated TNA report, the FOSTER project consortium will develop two training packages: a training package aimed at lawyer – trainers, focusing on adult training methodologies, and a training package aimed at lawyers who may be called upon to represent child victims of crime, which emphasises the rights of child victims, protection of personal data, child-friendly communication and the development of interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve holistic support of a child.
You can read the consolidated TNA report
and the specific TNA report for Greece (available in English).
For more information on the FOSTER project activities, you may contact the project manager, Natasha Alexopoulou, at nalexopoulou@cecl.gr .
