CFJ-EN ANNUAL SEMINAR 2025
Bridging Child Protection and Child Justice
Enhancing collaborations for child-centred justice systems
22-24 OCTOBER 2025 | ATHENS, GREECE | IN-PERSON
About
The fourth Annual Seminar of the Child Friendly Justice European Network (CFJ-EN) will provide a timely and crucial platform for discussing the complex interplay between child protection and child justice systems. By integrating legal, social, and neuroscientific perspectives, the seminar aims to build a stronger, more effective framework for safeguarding children’s rights and ensuring they receive the care and protection they need when they enter in contact with the justice system — whether as victims, suspects and/or accused, witnesses, or in the context of civil and administrative proceedings.
STAY TUNED FOR THE FULL CONCEPT NOTE!
Themes
1/ Strengthening Gatekeeping mechanisms for children in contact with the law
Early intervention, inclusive and restorative practices, tailored support programs, and interagency cooperation to prevent unnecessary institutionalisation, whether in justice, psychiatric, or care systems. This includes reinforcing gatekeeping mechanisms to avoid harmful placements such as imprisonment, psychiatric institutions, or the detention of migrant children, as well as examining support systems such as education, therapeutic care, social interventions, and strategies to build the capacities of child protection services.
2/ Understanding the impact of Integrated Child Protection Systems
Impact on children’s development (psychological, emotional, and social) and child-rights-based measures, such as integrated multidisciplinary models, including Barnahus model, rehabilitation, and reintegration strategies that prioritise care and support.
3/ Ensuring Continuity of care in protection systems for children in contact with the law
Improving continuity of care and ensuring that protection/justice systems support children through transitions (children below MACR, children transitioning to adulthood) without shifting them into punitive or exclusionary frameworks.
Indicative Agenda
More info to follow!
Wednesday 22 October 2025
7:00 - 10:00 PM
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Opening speeches
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Networking Dinner
Thursday 23 October 2025
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
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Opening plenary
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Keynote speeches
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Live podcast
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Workshop sessions
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Interactive sessions
7:00 - 10:00 PM
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Cultural event (optional)
Friday 24 October 2025
9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
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Interactive sessions
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Live podcast
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Closing plenary
2:30 - 5:30 PM
(optional - open to Annual Seminar participants)
CFJ-EN Academic Seminar on children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility
Registration
picture by Demetra Ioannidou
Early Bird Special
Take advantage of our Early Bird rate of €60 available from 12th May until 30th June 2025. This special rate allows you to enjoy all that the conference has to offer at a reduced cost.*
Standard Registration
After the Early Bird period, the registration fee will be €90. The deadline to register is the 12th September 2025. Ensure your spot at the conference by registering early!*
Networking Dinner
An optional networking dinner will be held on Wednesday 22 October, for an additional €30. Places are limited, so be sure to get in early!*
Support a Young Participant
Consider supporting a young person’s participation at our conference. Your contribution of €30 will help enable a young person with experience of the justice system to attend this event.*
*Please note: Eventbrite will add a 4% + €0.99 handling fee to the cost of your ticket.
Call for Interactive Sessions Proposals
More info to follow!
picture by Simon Blackley
We are excited to invite participants to submit proposals for workshops or interactive sessions to be held during the annual seminar. This year, we are offering 2 sessions of 4 parallel workshops on Thursday afternoon. Each workshop will run for approximately 45 minutes, twice, to offer the chance for participants to attend multiple workshops. Workshop organisers should identify a moderator. Note-taking will be done by the operational team and/or CFJ-EN Member. During the 1.5 days of the seminar, there will be 2 sessions of circle of inspiration, and human libraries.
Format
This edition of the CFJ-EN Annual Seminar will be highly interactive. To guarantee this, we invite participants to propose different formats of interactive sessions, including:
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Workshop (panel, training, etc.)
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Circle of inspiration
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Human library
More information to be shared soon.
Themes for Submission
Our workshops will focus on the following themes:
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Transitions and child offending
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Effective participation of children in decisions concerning their protection
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Strengthening Gate-keeping Mechanisms
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Inclusive approaches & integrated child protection systems
Participants interested in presenting a workshop or an interactive session are encouraged to prepare a proposal. Please check this page soon for more details on the submission process and to download the proposal document.
Feel free to email info@cfjnetwork.eu with any questions.
Child & youth participation
The participation of children and youth, in an appropriate and inclusive way, is at the heart of our events. In the CFJ-EN 2025 annual seminar, different parts of the agenda will include the participation of children, notably as part of a keynote inspiration of a young justice transformer, young discussants in all the plenary sessions, but also the presence of young justice transformers in the human library and the circles of inspiration.
picture by Simon Blackley
picture by Simon Blackley
picture by Simon Blackley
What to expect?
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1.5-day seminar on the links between child protection and child justice systems
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2 live podcasts
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4 workshops led by attendees
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Interactive sessions: circles of inspiration, human library, storytelling, etc.
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Approx. 120 participants including children’s rights experts, academics, practitioners, national and international institutions representatives, civil society organisations’ representatives, Young Justice Transformers, students, etc.
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1 social dinner (optional)
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1 cultural event (optional)
Benefits of attending the Annual Seminar
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Attend a multidisciplinary event – Engage with professionals in children’s rights, child protection, social protection, justice, neuroscience, policymaking, etc.
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Be part of the solution - Join the discussion and contribute to policy recommendations for a more protective and inclusive system.
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A critical issue for children’s rights in Europe - Learn how gaps in child protection systems push children into the justice system, and hear inspiring practices to address these gaps.
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A unique opportunity to Network – Meet all the CFJ-EN members and practitioners from all around Europe, to exchange best practices and innovative solutions.
Other important information
Registration and Participation
Registration for the annual seminar is mandatory. You will not be able to participate if you do not register.
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
This is an in-person event, and hybrid participation will therefore not be possible.
Funding
The Annual Seminar is co-funded by the European Union.
The CFJ-EN and Defence for Children International Greece organise the conference. The CFJ-EN operational team provides logistical support.
Contact
For any questions regarding the CFJ-EN Annual Seminar 2024, please contact:
Mariama Diallo - Coordinator
Stefania Kulaj - Assistant Coordinator
Organisers
