On 29 May 2026, SERENA research was presented at the 11th World Conference on Women's Studies (WCWS) during an online session bringing together researchers from Asian universities and women's rights organisations. The presentation, delivered by Maria Roth (Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania) on behalf of the SERENA consortium, explored the experiences of women survivors of child maltreatment participating in research and highlighted the importance of survivor engagement in shaping ethical and meaningful research practices. The session was attended by approximately 15 participants, and the presentation received the conference's Overall Best Presenter Award, recognising both its scientific quality and its contribution to discussions on gender, violence and participatory research. Contributions from SERENA partners Maria Roth presented "Voices of Women Survivors of Child Maltreatment Participating in Research," drawing on findings from multinational research involving adult survivors of child maltreatment across several European countries. The presentation examined the ethical, legal and methodological considerations involved in engaging survivors in research, emphasising the importance of recognising lived experience as a valuable source of knowledge for improving child protection policies and services. The study combined an international online survey with interviews and focus groups to explore how participants perceive their identities as victims and survivors, and how these perspectives influence their willingness to engage in research. The presentation highlighted that participation in research can have important personal and social benefits for survivors. Participants described research as an opportunity to validate their lived experiences, contribute to greater public understanding of child maltreatment and support improvements in professional practice. Findings also showed that the concepts of victim and survivor are not mutually exclusive but may evolve throughout different stages of an individual's life and recovery process. The research emphasised the need for researchers to balance appropriate protection of participants with recognition of their agency, resilience and expertise, supporting more participatory and ethically grounded approaches to child maltreatment research. Impact and outcomes The presentation generated discussion among participants from universities and women's rights organisations on the role of survivor participation in research addressing violence against children and women. Receiving the Overall Best Presenter Award recognised the quality and relevance of the work and highlighted the importance of incorporating lived experience into child maltreatment research. Through its participation in WCWS 2026, SERENA strengthened the visibility of its research within the international community working on gender, child protection and participatory research, reinforcing the project's commitment to producing evidence that informs more inclusive, ethical and survivor-centred research practices.

SERENA participated in the Decisions, Assessment, Risk and Evidence in Social Work (DARE) Conference, held in Zurich, Switzerland, on 25–26 June 2026. During the conference, researchers from Swansea University presented two oral communications showcasing Work Package 8, highlighting how linked administrative data can improve understanding of the experiences and service pathways of children who have experienced maltreatment. Contributions from SERENA partners Laura Cowley presented "Pathways Through Public Services for Maltreated Children in Care: A Scoping Review of Studies Using Linked Administrative Data." The presentation reviewed existing European evidence on how linked administrative data have been used to examine interactions between children in care and public services, including health, education, justice, housing, and employment systems. The review identified common patterns across countries, highlighted the long-term inequalities experienced by care-experienced children, and emphasised the importance of strengthening data linkage to better understand service pathways and support earlier interventions. Amrita Bandyopadhyay presented "Patterns of Service Contacts for Children Who Have Experienced Maltreatment and Are Known to Social Services: A Linked Routine Administrative Data Study in Wales, England and Denmark." This presentation introduced the first findings from the Welsh cohort, using routinely collected linked administrative data to examine healthcare utilisation before and after children's first contact with social services. Preliminary results showed that children who have experienced maltreatment make greater use of healthcare services than their matched peers and are more likely to have been born preterm and to live in areas of higher deprivation. The ongoing work will expand these analyses by incorporating education and justice data and comparing findings across Wales, England, and Denmark. Impact and outcomes The presentations generated valuable discussion among social work researchers and child protection professionals, providing useful feedback for the ongoing development of SERENA's linked data analyses. By sharing both a comprehensive review of the existing evidence and the first findings from the project's administrative data studies, SERENA strengthened its engagement with the international research community and reinforced its commitment to improving knowledge on service pathways for children who have experienced maltreatment.

SERENA joined the ISPCAN 2025 congress, in Vilnius, Lithuania 6 - 9 October 2025. We shared initial research results on the development and improvement of health and social care for child victims of maltreatment. During the ISPCAN congress, SERENA partners actively contributed through a variety of formats: Institute of Child Health, Athens (Sakis Ntinapogias) presented a poster introducing the SERENA project (coordinated by Catherine Quantin) and research to date. Authors: Catherine Quantin; Yulia Shenderovich; Ulugbek Nurmatov; Sinead Brophy; Peter Fallessen; Donna O'Leary; Andreas Jud; Leona Hakkaart-van Roijen; Neha Batura; Sakis Ntinapogias; George Nikolaidis (SERENA WP leaders). Cardiff University (Ulugbek Nurmatov) and Aarhus Universitet (Troels Græsholt-Knudsen) gave an oral presentation entitled “Comparative study of barriers and enablers for delivering and accessing health and social care services for children who experienced maltreatment in Denmark, France, and Wales”. Authors: Yulia Shenderovich, Ulugbek Nurmatov, Troels Græsholt-Knudsen, and other SERENA WP2&5 members. Swansea University (Laura Elizabeth Cowley) gave an oral presentation entitled “Hospitalisations for physical abuse in infants and children less than 5 years, 2013–2021: a multinational cohort study using administrative data from five European countries”. Authors: Catherine Quantin, Jonathan Cottenet, Colleen Chambers, Natasha Kennedy, Sadhbh Whelan, Geoff Debelle, Diogo Lamela, Ulugbek Nurmatov, Donna O’Leary, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Sinéad Brophy, Marcella Broccia, Ruth Gilbert, Troels Græsholt-Knudsen, and Laura Cowley (coordinated by Catherine Quantin). Universitatea Babes-Bolyai (Maria Roth) coordinated the Symposium “Voices of Survivors of Child Maltreatment: Participatory research with adult survivors – an essential contribution to research on child maltreatment". Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Dijon (Catherine Quantin) actively participated in the congress activities. Catherine Quantin attended the partners’ presentations and participated as a guest in two sessions on “Concepts and Methods for Cross-National Comparisons of Child Maltreatment Administrative Data”. By meeting other international and multidisciplinary professionals working to end abuse and neglect against children, we ensure that our research activities will inform developments to reduce maltreatment. We undertake to act together to improve detection of maltreatment and improve children care throughout Europe, and we commit to build meaningful recommendations to influence policy and European practices. Please find attached the document summarizing the participation and contributions of the SERENA project at the ISPCAN 2025 congress.

On 21 and 22 May 2026, the consortium met in Dijon for the project's 18-month progress meeting. This meeting marked the end of the project's first reporting period, which officially concludes on 30 June 2026. It provided an important opportunity for all partners to review the progress achieved so far, discuss the advancement of the different ongoing activities and work packages, and coordinate the next steps of the project. With a total duration of 60 months, the project continues to move forward thanks to the strong collaboration and commitment of all consortium partners.

Prof. Catherine Quantin, coordinator of the SERENA project, is pleased to announce the organization of a seminar entitled “Cross-Perspectives on Child Maltreatment Data”, which will take place on Friday, 20 November 2026, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Dijon, France. The event will likely also be accessible via videoconference. This seminar is organized in the context of the International Day for the Rights of the Child. Seminar Overview This French-language event will bring together researchers, professionals, and institutional representatives. It aims to foster exchange on practices, data, and perspectives related to the prevention and monitoring of child maltreatment. The seminar will be structured around three roundtable discussions (see attached program): Data collection and dissemination Prevention, qualification, and management of child maltreatment Training of healthcare professionals Participation Click here for registration! We look forward to welcoming many of you to this important event.

The SERENA project will be presented at the 2026 International Population Data Linkage Network (IPDLN) Conference, held from 13 to 16 July 2026 at Erasmus University Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. IPDLN Introduction The IPDLN conference brings together researchers, practitioners, and students from around the world working on population data linkage. The event focuses on empirical research using administrative and population datasets, methodological innovations in data linkage, and the ethical and legal implications of using large-scale administrative data. It provides a unique opportunity for international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the field of population data science. SERENA involvement During the conference, a few members of the SERENA consortium will present research exploring how children who experience maltreatment interact with public services. The SERENA project will be presented during the Population Data Research panel, Session 505: Youth Vulnerabilities, taking place in Room 5 from 13:00 to 14:30. Two presentations from the SERENA team will be featured at the conference: Laura Cowley (Swansea University) will present the study “Pathways Through Public Services for Maltreated Children in Care: A Scoping Review of Studies Using Linked Administrative Data.” Click here to view Laura Cowley’s abstract Amrita Bandyopadhyay (Swansea University) will present the study “Patterns of service contacts for children who have experienced maltreatment and are known to social services: a Linked Routine Administrative Data Study in Wales, England and Denmark.”Click here to view Amrita Bandyopadhyay’s abstract These presentations were prepared with the participation of SERENA member researchers: Amrita Bandyopadhyay, Laura Cowley, and Tash Kennedy, from Swansea University Medical School, United Kingdom. Peter Fallesen from ROCKWOOL Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark; Stockholm University, Sweden. Marcella Broccia from Zealand University Hospital, Roskilde; Herlev and Gentofte Hospital; Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Denmark. Troels Græsholt-Knudsen from Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark. Eliazar Luna from UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, United Kingdom. Catherine Quantin from University Hospital of Dijon; Inserm; Université Paris-Saclay, France. Sinead Brophy from Swansea University Medical School, United Kingdom.

SERENA participated in the 10th Qualitative Research in Mental Health Conference (QRMH10), held in Budapest, Hungary from 21 to 23 May 2025. During the conference, SERENA partners presented research on participatory approaches with survivors of child maltreatment, with a particular focus on identity, ethics, and the role of qualitative research in supporting healing processes. Contributions from SERENA partners Maria Roth from Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) delivered an oral presentation entitled “Preferred modes of self-identification of participants with child maltreatment experiences.” This presentation explored how individuals with lived experience of child maltreatment identify themselves as “victims” and/or “survivors,” highlighting the fluidity of these identities over time. It also addressed the importance of participatory research approaches, as well as the ethical and methodological challenges involved in engaging vulnerable populations in research. Katerina Kyriakou from Institute of Child Health (ICH), in collaboration with international partners, presented an oral communication entitled “Narratives of Healing: Ethical and Therapeutic Considerations in Research with Survivors of Child Maltreatment.” This contribution focused on the ethical and therapeutic dimensions of qualitative research with survivors. It highlighted the role of narrative and participatory methods in supporting meaning-making and healing, while also addressing key ethical considerations such as consent, emotional safety, and the responsibility of researchers working with sensitive experiences. Impact and outcomes Participation in QRMH10 strengthened SERENA’s engagement with the international research community in mental health and child protection. By engaging with leading experts in qualitative mental health research, SERENA continues to advance knowledge on how to better involve survivors in research and improve responses to child maltreatment across Europe.

SERENA participated in the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology (ISA 2025), held in Rabat, Morocco from 6 to 11 July 2025. During the conference, SERENA partners presented research on participatory approaches with children in the context of violence, focusing on ethics, children’s rights, and methodological challenges. Contributions from SERENA partners Maria Roth, Eva Laszlo, Imola Antal and David Kacso Agnes from Babeș-Bolyai University (UBB) presented a poster entitled “Ethics of Participatory Research with Children on the Topic of Violence.” The presentation explored key ethical dilemmas in research with children, particularly the balance between participation and protection. It addressed issues such as informed consent, confidentiality, and risks like retraumatization, while also highlighting the role of ethical boards and national regulations Impact and outcomes Participation in ISA 2025 strengthened SERENA’s engagement with the international sociological research community and contributed to ongoing discussions on ethics and children’s participation in research. By engaging with international experts in sociology and child protection, SERENA continues to advance knowledge on how to ethically involve children in research and improve responses to violence affecting children across Europe.

Cardiff University is recruiting participants for SERENA , a European study exploring how to improve access to support services for children and young people who have experienced abuse or neglect from a parent or caregiver. The project also includes research teams in France and Denmark . 👉 We are looking for: Adults aged ~18–35 Who experienced abuse or neglect in childhood Who spent part of their childhood in Wales Professionals  working in health, social care, the third sector, or other services supporting people affected by childhood abuse Participation involves a confidential interview: online or in person Interviews will take place between January and June 2026 . All information shared will be kept strictly confidential. To express interest or request more information: SERENA@cardiff.ac.uk

The first SERENA consortium meeting will be held on September 15 – 16, 2025, in Cardiff, UK.

The SERENA project officially started on 1st January 2025.

The SERENA project is pleased to announce the publication of its preprint, now available for public access. The paper introduces SERENA, a Horizon Europe-funded initiative involving 22 partners across 12 European countries, and outlines the study protocol for assessing and improving access to health and social care services for children rendered vulnerable by abuse. Currently under review in the International Journal of Population Data Science (IJPDS) , the article details SERENA’s cross-sectoral and mixed-methods approach, including large-scale analyses of national health and social care data, qualitative interviews with professionals and survivors, and an evaluation of the societal costs of child maltreatment. The preprint also presents the project’s objectives, governance structure, and ethical framework, and describes SERENA’s ambition to develop recommendations that strengthen early detection, intervention, and coordination across European systems. Want to know more? Check out the preprint on our website or access it directly here.