European project on detecting child abuse receives Horizon Europe funding

The project on the detection of abuse, in which Universidade Lusófona participates, has received funding from Horizon Europe.

The Lusófona University team, in the SERENA project - Assessing and improving access to health and social care Services for children RENdered vulnerable by Abuse, will be led by HEI-Lab researcher Diogo Lamela.

The primary goal of SERENA is to enhance the detection of child maltreatment, minimize its recurrence and severe outcomes, and lessen the burden on victims, families, and society. To achieve this, SERENA will conduct a Europe-wide investigation into current care pathways in health and social services, identify barriers and inequalities in accessing these services before and after child maltreatment is recognized, and assess the financial impact of child maltreatment on society. Based on these findings, SERENA will develop and share EU-level recommendations to accelerate and improve the detection of child maltreatment, and optimize care pathways to improve both immediate and long-term outcomes for individuals and society.

The Lusófona University team, led by HEI-Lab researcher Diogo Lamela, will actively participate in the participatory synthesis of the findings on the follow-up care needs of maltreated children and in formulating recommendations for health professionals and policymakers, which is a major output of the project.