Child Helplines, Quality, Data and Advocacy

ongoing

Needs analysis: Child helplines are crucial for addressing child rights and wellbeing issues in the EU, including violence, mental health, and online safety. Despite their importance, many European helplines lack resources to handle crises like war and pandemics, and struggle to support vulnerable groups like migrant children. Insufficient government support and policy protection leave them at risk. Greater EU recognition and funding are needed for sustainability and quality improvement. Project objectives: (1) Increase the quality of operations of child helplines through the establishment and dissemination of child helpline operational best practices; (2) Influence children’s rights policy and practice by improving the overall quality, reliability, comparability and access to child helpline data over time and (3) Raise awareness of policymakers and partners on the essential role of child helplines in realising EU child rights policy priorities. Activities: Data collection and analysis of Core Quality Standards (CQS) and child helpline data on reasons for contact, including activities to increase the reliability of child helpline data. Capacity building of child helplines and gathering good practices from our network to create and disseminate training material within our network via our online eLearning platform, Europe Regional Space meetings and online knowledge exchange sessions. Amplification of children’s voices through publications based on child helpline data, and joint regional campaigns with members. Expected results/impact: Improved capacity of network to respond to children, Improved policy environment for operating child helplines, and the policy environment for children’s rights.