Programme
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PROGRAMME OVERVIEW
09:00
09:15
Welcome Speech
- Nikos Baltas — CEO, IASIS NGO
09:40
Greetings and Opening Remarks
- Her Excellency Ms Alison Joy Duncan — Australian Ambassador to Greece, Romania and Bulgaria
10:10
Understanding and Responding to Trauma: Protecting Children’s Futures
- Steven Marans, MSW, PhD — Harris Professor Emeritus in the Child Study Center; Director, National Center for Children Exposed to Violence / Childhood Violent Trauma Center at the Yale Child Study Center; Director, Trauma Service; Professor of Psychiatry
11:25
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning Network
From Evidence to Action: Strategies to Promote the Wellbeing of Youth Affected by Emergencies and Displacement in a Rapidly Changing World
- Presentation 1: Claire Greene — Assistant Professor, Program on Forced Migration and Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
- Presentation 2:
Charlie Branas — Gelman Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
Evangelia Ntzani — Professor and Head, Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina School of Medicine; Center for Evidence Synthesis in Health, Brown University, RI, USA - Presentation 3: Leisha Beardmore — Research Fellow, Human Rights in Trauma Mental Health Program, Stanford University; Consultant, UNFPA; Founder & Executive Director, Cadre
- Presentation 4: The Protection of Unaccompanied Minors: Pathways to Safety and Stability
Dr Apostolos Veizis — Executive Director, INTERSOS HELLAS
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by The Exodus Road
When the Threat Moves Online: How Digital Enticement is Reshaping Child Exploitation
- Presentation 1: Preston Goff — VP of Global Communications & Co-Creator of Influenced™, The Exodus Road
- Presentation 2: Sarah Ray — VP of Global Programs & Co-Author of Influenced™, The Exodus Road
Family Relationships, Gender and Prevention: Building Safer Contexts for Children and Young People
- Presentation 1: Parental Separation and the Reorganisation of Childhood
Georgina Dimopoulos — Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University, Australia - Presentation 2: The Role of Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Supporting Young People’s Wellbeing and Preventing Gender-Based Violence: Bottom-Up Talks Approach
Rūta Grigaliūnaitė — Project Manager, CESIE ETS; Coordinator of the SexSense Network - Presentation 3: What Happens When the “Village” Was Never Healed?
Lina Lopes — Educational Therapist; Founder of the Magnólia Method; Co-Founder & CEO, IDEAS LAB, Portugal - Presentation 4: Violence Against Girls: Facts, Statistics and Reality
Adine Samadi — President, National Organisation for Women’s Shelters and Young Women’s Shelters, Sweden
12:00
13:15
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by Victim Support Europe
Protecting Child Victims: Recognition, Multidisciplinary Response and Safe Justice
- Presentation 1: From First Contact to Safe Justice: New Threats, Emerging Trends, Effective Communication, and Good Practices in Comprehensive Victim Support Frameworks for Children and Youth
Efthymis Antonopoulos — Policy & Advocacy Manager, Victim Support Europe (VSE) - Presentation 2: Can We Make Substantiation Decisions Better? Does It Matter?
Amy M. Smith Slep - Presentation 3: PROTECT: Professional Response and Observation Training in Virtual Reality for Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect
Chryssa Grylli, MD, MSc, PhD — Child Protection Pediatrician; Leading Physician, Forensic Examination Center for Children and Adolescents (FOKUS), University Hospital Vienna
Laura Schaller, MSc — Clinical Psychologist, FOKUS, Vienna General Hospital / Medical University of Vienna - Presentation 4: Multidisciplinary Collaborations in the Investigation and Case Management of Suspected Cases of Child Maltreatment by Frontline Professionals: The University Hospital of Vienna Experience
Chryssa Grylli, MD, MSc, PhD — FOKUS, University Hospital Vienna
Mag. Sophie Klomfar — Leading Clinical Psychologist, FOKUS, University Hospital Vienna
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Laboratory for Qualitative Research in Psychology and Psychosocial Well-Being, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Qualitative Perspectives on Child and Youth Psychosocial Wellbeing
- Presentation 1: Presentation Details Coming Soon
Philia Issari — Professor of Counseling Psychology; Director, Laboratory for Qualitative Research in Psychology and Psychosocial Well-Being, NKUA
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Cyberpsychology Research Network (CRN), University of Huddersfield
Understanding and Protecting Children and Youth in a Digital Age
- Presentation 1: The Dark Side of Belonging: Vulnerability and Emerging Online Communities
Professor Dr Maria Ioannou, PhD — Professor in Psychology, CRN, University of Huddersfield, UK - Presentation 2: Algorithms & Circular Causality: Trapped in the Loop of Algorithmic Amplification, Psychological Feedback Cycles, and Collective Behavioural Dynamics
Dr Calli Tzani, PhD — Associate Professor in Psychology, CRN, University of Huddersfield, UK - Presentation 3: Digital Risks and Child Wellbeing: Mental Health, School Functioning, and Protection
Eyup Sabir Erbicer — Assistant Professor, Siirt University, Türkiye
Halil Ecer — Sociologist, Youth, Future and Society Association (GEGET), Türkiye - Presentation 4: Invisible Risks, Visible Consequences: The Psychology of Online Radicalisation in Children and Adolescents
Chryssa Kaltsoni — Social Criminologist – Forensic Psychologist; Adjunct Lecturer at the Hellenic Police Academy; Member of Thematic Panel 1 of the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation
13:45
Protection Without Harm: Rethinking Child Protection Systems Through the Lens of Removal Trauma
- Stefanos Alevizos — Psychologist & Postdoctoral Researcher, IASIS NGO; Research Associate, Restorative Justice and Mediation Lab, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
14:45
15:15
Youth Perspectives on Child Protection: Where is Children’s Voice in Securing Child Safety?
- Jill Duerr Berrick — Distinguished Professor of Social Welfare; Zellerbach Family Professor, School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley
16:30
Joint session facilitated by the Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict, with HIAS Greece
Children in Armed Conflict and on the Move: Protection, Recovery and Legal Avenues
- Presentation 1: Rebuilding Childhood: Reintegration, Recovery, and Resilience after Armed Conflict
Laura Guercio — Professor, Link Campus University Rome; Secretary General, Universities Network for Children in Armed Conflict - Presentation 2: From Victimization to Resilience: A Bioecological Approach to Intergroup Conflict and Holistic Interventions for Children and Youth
Theofilos Gkinopoulos — Associate Professor of Social Psychology; Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Nicosia, Athens Campus - Presentation 3: Children on the Move: Challenges and Legal Avenues
Effie Thanou — Staff Attorney, HIAS Greece - Presentation 4: Digital Connectivity in Contexts of Mobility: Children on the Move’s Experiences, Online Risks, and Pathways to Safer Digital Environments
Sofia Eleftheriadou — Clinical Psychologist and Project Officer, ARSIS — Association for the Social Support of Youth
Karina Violeta Padilla Malca — Research and Learning Officer, ECPAT International
Andrea Varrella — Head of Justice and Child Rights, ECPAT International
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
Child Safety in the Context of Parental Substance Use: Challenges of Detection, Assessment, and Intervention
- Presentation 1: Sarah Font — Professor of Social Work, Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis
- Presentation 2: Lindsey Palmer, PhD — Assistant Professor, University of Utah College of Social Work
- Presentation 3: Ezra G. Goldstein — Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology
Media, Parenting and Digital Wellbeing: Practical Pathways to Safer Childhoods
- Presentation 1: Parents and the Protection of Minors Online: A Study Comparing the Frequency of Harmful Media Experiences Between Swedish Children (13–18) from Families with Different Socio-Economic Status
Martin Karlsson — Research Officer, Swedish Agency for the Media - Presentation 2: From Public Health Recommendations to Everyday Conversations: A Swedish Picture-Based Tool for Professionals Meeting Parents of Young Children
Hanna Hartleb — Senior Adviser, Swedish Agency for the Media, Stockholm, Sweden - Presentation 3: Big Talks for Little People: A Digital Mental Health Program for Primary Schools — An International Program
Phillip Thomas Slee — Professor (Emeritus) in Human Development, Flinders University, Australia - Presentation 4: Beyond the Screen: How Hyper-Connectivity and Algorithmic Harm Shape Youth Digital Mental Health
Anastasiya Dzyakava — Founder and CEO, NGO Dignity Online, Ukraine
17:00
Community Psychiatry in the Context of Child Protection: Resistance, Transformations, and Challenges
- Stelios Stylianidis — Psychiatrist–Psychoanalyst; Emeritus Professor of Social Psychiatry, Panteion University; Honorary President and Founder, EPAPSY
17:15
Closing Remarks — Day 1
- Stefanos Alevizos — Psychologist & Postdoctoral Researcher, IASIS NGO; Research Associate, Restorative Justice and Mediation Lab, Panteion University
19:00
Opening Ceremony
- Greetings from Nikos Baltas, CEO, IASIS NGO
- Young People from the Groups of IASIS NGO and DCI Greece
- “Connecting, Mobilizing, Acting: Accelerating Global Efforts to End Violence Against Children” — Dr Najat Maalla M’jid — Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
- “Children’s Rights: The Skies are Darkening!” — Prof. Philip D. Jaffé — Professor Emeritus; Vice-Chair, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
- Professor Dr Vasiliki Artinopoulou — Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences; Director, “Restorative Justice and Mediation” Lab; Director, Institute on Crime and Criminal Justice, EPLO; Member of the SPT, United Nations — Head of the European Region
09:00
09:30
Reducing the Impact of Iatrogenic Outcomes: An Organizational Challenge to Ensure Child and Youth Wellbeing
- Yvonne M. Vissing — Professor, Department of Healthcare Studies; Director, Center for Childhood and Youth Studies; Policy Chair, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; Salem State University
10:00
The Treatment of Child Abuse Offenders as a Prevention Strategy
- Athanasios Douzenis — Professor of Psychiatry – Forensic Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School; President, Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association
11:15
Community-Based Psychosocial Support and Education: Bridging Schools, Families and Services
- Presentation 1: Psychosocial Interventions for Adolescents in the Community: Insights from the Pilot Programme “It’s Up to You(th)”
Valeria Linardou — Senior Social Worker, Trained in Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy; Scientific Coordinator, “It’s Up to You(th)”
Slots reserved — 3 presentations to be announced
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association
Assessing Parental Capacity in a Forensic Psychiatry Setting
- Presentation 1: Assessing Parental Capacity in Parents with Serious Mental Illness
Athanasios Douzenis — Professor of Psychiatry – Forensic Psychiatry, NKUA Medical School; President, Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association - Presentation 2: Assessing Parental Capacity: Ethical and Legal Implications
Marie-Louise Psarra — Clinical Forensic Psychologist, 2nd Department of Psychiatry, NKUA, “Attikon” University General Hospital; General Secretary, Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association - Presentation 3: Assessing Parental Capacity in Cases of Hostile Divorces
Georgia Kalemi — Clinical Psychologist, 2nd Department of Psychiatry, NKUA, “Attikon” University Hospital; Treasurer, Hellenic Forensic Psychiatric Association
Making Children’s Participation Meaningful and Safe: Translating Article 12 into Professional Practice
- Georgina Dimopoulos — Associate Professor of Law, Faculty of Business, Law and Arts, Southern Cross University, Australia
Description: Children’s right to participation is enshrined in Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This interdisciplinary training workshop will support professionals across sectors in translating this right into meaningful, safe and developmentally appropriate practice. Participants will explore practical approaches to scaffolding children’s participation, identify enabling factors and common barriers, and engage with insights from children and young people about what genuine participation looks and feels like across different service contexts.
11:45
13:00
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by EuroHealthNet
Connecting Health, Social Care and Education for Children and Youth at Risk
- Presentation 1: Presentation Title to Be Announced
Huw Williams — Professor in Clinical Neuropsychology; Co-Director, Centre for Clinical Neuropsychology Research (CCNR); Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor for Global Engagement, University of Exeter, UK - Presentation 2: Connecting Health, Social Care, and Education: Community-Based Mental Health Services for Children and Youth at Risk
Elena Kopcova, PhD — TENENET (NGO), Slovakia
Martin Mnahoncak, PhD, MBA — TENENET (NGO), Slovakia - Presentation 3: Connect to Protect Adolescent Mental Health: Community-Based Evidence from the Greek MMPI-A-RF Standardization
Christina Roussi — Assistant Professor in Educational Psychology, Special Education Department, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
Protecting Unaccompanied Children: Safeguarding, Participation and Institutional Responsibility
- Presentation 1: Unaccompanied Minors Protection in Greece: Vulnerability, Youth at Risk, and Risk Management
Stavroula Kofina — Social Worker – Social Scientist; Head of the Department of Monitoring and Evaluation of Accommodation Shelters for Unaccompanied Minors, General Secretariat for Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection, Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the International Centre for Justice Alliance (ICJA)
Child-Centred Justice and Protection from Violence: Putting Children’s Rights at the Heart of Systems
- Presentation 1: 2.3 Billion Children. One Question: Is Justice Designed for Them?
Cédric Foussard — Founder and Chair, International Centre for Justice Alliance (ICJA) - Presentation 2: Who Supports Those Who Support Others? A Hub at the Intersection of Trauma, Voice and Child-Centred Justice
Marine Braun — International Independent Child Rights Expert - Presentation 3: Expanding Diversion: The Path to a Child-Centered and Child-Friendly Justice
Panagiota Kanellopoulou — Lawyer and Mediator; Access to Justice Project Coordinator, Terre des hommes Hellas - Presentation 4: Out of Harm’s Way: Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence and the Istanbul Convention
Dr Maria-Andriani Kostopoulou — President of GREVIO (Council of Europe); Governing Board Member, Marangopoulos Foundation for Human Rights
14:00
15:15
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Institute for Children’s Futures (ICF) — Manchester Metropolitan University
The Institute for Children’s Futures: Advancing Cross-Sector Approaches to Child Protection
- Presentation 1: Identification, Assessment and Support of Children Who Are Unpaid Family Carers (“Young Carers”)
Prof. Saul Becker — Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor, Department of Health & Education, Manchester Metropolitan University; Founding Director of the ICF - Presentation 2: Overarching Work Across Child Protection Matters: The Police System and Safeguarding
Prof. Michelle McManus — Director of the ICF; Professor in Safeguarding and Violence Prevention - Presentation 3: Relational Practice as Protection: Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
Prof. Deborah James — Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Health & Social Care - Presentation 4: Child Protection in Sport: Emerging Issues and Trends
Dr Seamus Byrne — Reader in Law; Faculty Lead for the ICF
15:45
The Impact of Mental Health Challenges on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by Young People
- Helen Griffiths — Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
17:00
Children’s Futures in a Changing World: AI, Creativity, Rights and Human Connection
- Presentation 1: Imagination and Creativity in the Era of AI: Playing the Generative Game
Kishonna Gray — Professor, School of Information, University of Michigan - Presentation 2: Scaling a Constellation of Innovation for Children: Building Tomorrow’s Systems with Children as Architects of the Future
Oumayma Raimi Rodé — Initiatives Unit Team Leader, UNICEF Office of Innovation
Session / Roundtable Discussion facilitated by the Association for Free Play
Free Play as a Protective Factor in Child and Youth Wellbeing
- Presentation 1: Borbála Marosán — Junior Research Fellow; PhD Candidate in Sociology; Member, Association for Free Play
- Presentation 2: Borka Moravcsik — Product and Service Designer; Member, Association for Free Play
- Presentation 3: Hanna Szalai-Szabó — Learning Environment Designer; Member, Association for Free Play
Social Work in Child Protection: Bridging Schools, Families and Communities
- Presentation 1: From Complicity to Redress: Revisiting the Complex Histories of Child Protection in Europe
Vasilios Ioakimidis — Professor of Social Work, University of West Attica; Global Education Commissioner, IFSW - Presentation 2: Social Work and Children’s Violence and Abuse: Empowering Professionals to Bridge Schools, Families and Local Authorities
Agapi Kandylaki — Professor in Critical Counselling in Social Work and Multiculturalism, Department of Social Work, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Heraklion, Crete - Presentation 3: Presentation Details Coming Soon
Konstantina Sklavou — Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, University of West Attica; Chair, Society for Mental Health of Children and Adolescents (EPSYYPE) - Presentation 4: Parents as Guardians and Advocates of Child Rights and Child Agency
Eszter Salamon, PhD — Director and Research Lead, Parents International
Influenced™ in Practice: From Awareness to Action in Preventing Online Child Exploitation
- Preston Goff — VP Global Communications & Co-Creator of Influenced™, The Exodus Road
- Sarah Ray — VP Global Programs & Co-Author of Influenced™, The Exodus Road
Description: This interactive workshop offers participants a hands-on introduction to Influenced™, an innovative digital safety and exploitation prevention programme developed by The Exodus Road. Drawing on frontline experience in combating child exploitation and human trafficking, the session moves beyond theory to provide practical tools, educational resources, and real-world strategies for supporting children, young people, families, and communities in the digital age. Through live demonstrations, experiential activities, and facilitated discussion, participants will explore emerging online risks — including grooming, sextortion, cyberbullying, and technology-facilitated exploitation — while gaining practical insights into implementing digital safety education within schools, youth services, community organisations, and child protection systems.
17:30
- Richard Weissbourd — Senior Lecturer and Faculty Director, Making Caring Common, Harvard Graduate School of Education
18:30
Connect to Protect: Turning Two Days of Evidence into Global Commitments for Children
- Moderator: George Katsarakis, Hellenic Philanthropy Foundation (Washington, DC)
- High-level panellists:
Oumayma Raimi Rodé — Initiatives Unit Team Leader, UNICEF Office of Innovation
Further senior representatives of the United Nations and UNICEF — to be announced
Meet the full list of speakers →
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What leading experts say about CTP Conference
In a world where so many children now grow up amid conflict, climate disruption, digital harms, and shrinking safety nets, the “Connect to Protect – Children and Youth at Risk” international conference in Athens offers a vital opportunity to refine... and perhaps even reimagine... how we connect across systems to protect those most at risk. Even in an age of polycrisis and fiscal austerity, the protection and care of children cannot be allowed to unravel. This moment demands that we put our minds together not only to prevent further erosion, but to trigger the opposite dynamic: renewed commitment, smarter cooperation, and more resilient child protection systems.
PANTEION UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES, SOCIOLOGY DEPARTMENT, DIRECTOR of the ‘Restorative Justice and Mediation’ Lab, DIRECTOR of the Institute on Crime and Criminal Justice, EUROPEAN PUBLIC LAW ORGANIZATION, MEMBER of SPT, United Nations, Head of the European Region
Violence against children remains one of the most serious and preventable violations of human rights. In line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, effective prevention requires coherent and comprehensive national strategies that translate international obligations into sustained public action. By strengthening evidence-informed, rights-based policies, enhancing coordination across sectors, and ensuring that the best interests of the child guide all measures, States can move from formal commitments to meaningful and lasting protection. This conference will advance dialogue and cooperation in support of prevention-oriented national responses that safeguard children from violence in all settings.
Distinguished Professor of Social Welfare Zellerbach Family Professor School of Social Welfare | University of California, Berkeley
I look forward to meeting you in beautiful Athens where we will engage in a lively discussion about the role of children in charting their own destiny to secure their safety and well-being
Psychologist & Postdoctoral Researcher IASIS NGO, Research Associate, Restorative Justice and Mediation Lab, Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences
The Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference was created as a space where research, professional practice, and public policy come together to improve the protection of children and young people at risk. Children today face complex and overlapping risks, including violence, neglect, mental health challenges, social exclusion, and digital harm. These challenges require child protection systems that are not only effective, but also humane, coordinated, and trauma-informed. While the world around children is constantly changing, the fundamental rights of children remain unchanged. The principles and spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child continue to serve as a stable and universal framework that guides our responsibility to protect, support, and respect every child. In times of social, technological, and cultural transformation, safeguarding these rights becomes even more essential. This conference brings together researchers, frontline professionals, policy makers, and civil society organisations to share knowledge, reflect on current practices, and explore better ways to protect children and youth. The goal is not only to discuss problems, but to support cooperation and practical solutions that place the best interests of the child at the centre. Connect to Protect aims to build stronger links between knowledge, practice, and policy, and to contribute to child protection systems that truly protect without causing additional harm.
Connect to Protect – Children & Youth at Risk Conference is an international forum dedicated to strengthening child protection and improving outcomes for vulnerable children, adolescents, and young people. Organised by IASIS NGO, the conference brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organisations working across sectors to address the most pressing challenges affecting children and youth today.
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Philip D. Jaffé
Professor Emeritus, Vice-chair UN Committee on the Rights of the Child