*Machine Translation
Online child sexual abuse is affecting a fast-growing number of children of all ages, in all situations, with the potential for very severe and lasting consequences. The key objectives of the PROMISE Elpis project are to ensure early identification, adequate assistance, protection and access to child-friendly justice for children involved in these cases.
All PROMISE projects aim at promoting and supporting the Barnahus model for meeting the needs of child victims of violence, providing them with access to justice, avoiding re-victimization and ensuring high professional standards for recovery.
What does PROMISE Elpis do?
In Greek mythology, Elpis is the name of the spirit of hope. PROMISE Elpis aims to help children who have suffered online child sexual abuse by:
- Building knowledge and sharing recommendations: learning about the experience of children and professionals and developing bibliographies of international resources on online child sexual abuse; sharing recommendations on regional policy and practice development in light of ongoing EU law and policy recasts.
- Promoting comprehensive child-centred case management: contributing to a competent and committed multidisciplinary team, equipped to provide a holistic and balanced intervention.
- Innovating and promoting specialised tools for practitioners: supporting specialised professional interventions and operational capacity, adapted to the specific requirements and needs that may arise in cases of online child sexual abuse.
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
PROMISE Elpis Project Lead - Prof. Dr. med. Sibylle M. Winter
Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin (Post)
A key focus of the project was to develop and evaluate protocols and procedures, to contribute to a committed and competent workforce, and to promote holistic interventions that benefit from effective interagency case management to ensure that victims in the context of online child sexual violence receive appropriate and holistic support.
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:
Carolina Canettieri - PROMISE Elpis Project Coordinator
carolina.canettieri@charite.de
Rebecca Menhart - PROMISE Elpis Project Officer
A key focus of the project was to develop and evaluate protocols and procedures, to contribute to a committed and competent workforce, and to promote holistic interventions that benefit from effective interagency case management to ensure that victims in the context of online child sexual violence receive appropriate and holistic support.
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:
These measures aimed to ensure early identification, appropriate support and protection and access to child-friendly justice for children. Primarily by ensuring the coordination of child protection and criminal justice proceedings in a child-centered, multidisciplinary manner. Against this background, the care strategies in the Childhood Homes (CHH) are examined and standardized in various multidisciplinary teams.
Carolina Canettieri - PROMISE Elpis Project Coordinator
carolina.canettieri@charite.de
Rebecca Menhart - PROMISE Elpis Project Officer
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
PROMISE Elpis Project Lead - Prof. Dr. med. Sibylle M. Winter
Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie des Kindes- und Jugendalters Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin (Post)
The PROMISE Elpis partners produced a wide range of resources focusing on online child sexual abuse for different professionals, including law enforcement, health professionals, child protection services and therapists. These include consultation findings, guidance, practice tools and training resources:
Building knowledge and sharing recommendations
• Listening to Young Voices: including a report, animations, a Policy Brief and a paper.
• Voices of Professionals – sharing experience and perspectives of professionals.
• Bibliographies of resources on online child sexual violence.
• Looking Ahead, a reflection paper to share experience, learnings and recommendations from PROMISE Elpis with regional stakeholders.
• Elpis At a Glance paper – a guide for professionals around the Project resources
Promoting comprehensive child-centred case management
• Multidisciplinary interagency case management guidance and training
Innovating and promoting specialized tools for practitioners
• Victim support guidance and training
• Standardised psychosocial counselling and intervention protocol and training
• Investigative interview protocol and training
• Adapted therapeutic programme guidance and training
• Crisis intervention guidelines and protocol
• Recommendations and questionnaire to foster child inclusion in the Barnahus processes
• Medical support protocol and training
• Practical police training curriculum and training
• Avatar training tool
The Consortium ensured strong visibility through national and international events, online platforms, and targeted newsletters. Highlights include the project’s feature on the Sparks in the Dark platform, partner participation in major conferences such as ISPCAN 2024 and C1b3rwall 2024, and active engagement in Barnahus Network events. In 2025, ELPIS had a remarkable presence at the 41st International Symposium on Child Abuse in the U.S., delivering six well-received presentations to over 1,000 professionals worldwide. Additionally, CBSS and the Consortium hosted a high-impact networking event in Brussels, bringing together EU stakeholders to foster innovation and strengthen interagency cooperation, supporting long-term systemic change in child protection.
Conclusion
Through PROMISE Elpis, partners successfully developed a comprehensive body of knowledge, practical guidance, and innovative tools to strengthen the response to online child sexual abuse across Europe and beyond. The action not only delivered high-quality resources for professionals in law enforcement, health, child protection, and therapy, but also advanced multidisciplinary, child-centred case management as a cornerstone of effective intervention. Training programmes, protocols, and practice tools have improved professional capacity and operational readiness, while extensive dissemination ensured wide reach and uptake of results. By actively engaging with policymakers, practitioners, and researchers at high-level international conferences and networking events—including the 41st International Symposium on Child Abuse and the Brussels networking event—the project amplified its impact, promoted interagency cooperation, and reinforced the Barnahus model as a leading approach. Overall, PROMISE Elpis achieved and even exceeded its objectives: building knowledge, empowering professionals, and driving systemic change to better protect and support children who have suffered online sexual abuse.
The PROMISE ELPIS project aimed to ensure that every child affected by online sexual violence receives protection, justice, and tailored support for recovery. Over the past years, partners across Europe developed practical tools, trainings, and resources that are already benefiting children and professionals and promoting and supporting the Barnahus model.
ELPIS created evidence-based protocols and training materials for crisis intervention, therapy, medical care, police work, and child-inclusive case management, helping professionals act effectively and reduce the risk of re-traumatisation. Advanced “Avatar” tools allowed safe, realistic interview training, while children’s perspectives shaped animations and policy briefs showcased internationally. The project also strengthened multidisciplinary and cross-border collaboration, aligning practices with EU and international standards.
Immediate and long-term impact
For children: safer, more supportive, and child-friendly responses.
For professionals: access to evidence-based tools and training that increase confidence and effectiveness.
For systems: stronger collaboration, alignment with Barnahus Quality Standards, and lasting improvements in addressing online sexual violence.
All PROMISE Elpis resources can be found in the following websites:
Carolina Canettieri - PROMISE Elpis Project Coordinator
carolina.canettieri@charite.de
Rebecca Menhart - PROMISE Elpis Project Officer
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