Project Information
Project Reference: 2018-2-BE04-KA205-002381
Status: Completed | Duration: October 1, 2018 – August 31, 2021 | EU Grant: 136,597.38 EUR
Programme: Erasmus+ | Action Type: Strategic Partnerships for Youth
Countries Involved: Belgium, France, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Spain, Netherlands
Background
The project Child-Friendly Justice in Action was developed to address the lack of child-centered approaches in European justice systems. Although all EU countries ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, juvenile justice often remains punitive rather than educational. Many professionals are not sufficiently trained to ensure children’s rights are respected. This gap highlighted the urgent need for more accessible and inclusive justice.
Objectives
The project aimed to make justice systems more respectful of children’s rights and more adapted to their needs. Its main goals were to ensure children’s voices are heard in all proceedings, to promote the best interest of the child, and to strengthen the skills of professionals working with children in justice systems. Another important objective was to raise awareness of new European standards on child-friendly justice and encourage their application in practice.
Implementation
The project followed a participatory approach, combining research, professional input, and children’s experiences. In the first phase, partners consulted professionals in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and Belgium through interviews and questionnaires. In the second phase, children involved in administrative proceedings, such as international protection applications, shared their views in workshops, interviews, and child-friendly questionnaires. This ensured that both professionals and children contributed to the project outcomes.
Key Activities
Main activities included mapping good practices across Europe, conducting a needs analysis among professionals, and organizing workshops with children to gather their expectations and experiences. Based on this input, partners created a toolkit on child-friendly justice. This toolkit included practical recommendations for professionals, examples of good practices, and insights directly from children. An additional document, The Voices of Children, was produced to highlight children’s perspectives more directly.
Results
Each partner developed a national report, later combined into a European report summarizing common challenges and solutions for child-friendly justice. The toolkit created through the project became a practical resource for professionals, helping them integrate child-centered principles into their daily work. The project also contributed to raising awareness and improving knowledge about justice standards, ensuring more consistent protection of children’s rights in Europe.
Impact
The project had a strong and lasting impact on professionals, children, and the wider justice system. It gave children an active role in shaping policies and practices that affect them, empowering them to speak up. For professionals, it provided tools and training that improved their capacity to act in line with children’s rights. At the European level, the project encouraged cooperation, promoted innovative practices, and helped make justice systems more accessible, fair, and supportive for children.
