Judges at the forefront of children’s mental health: Training that is shaping practice
The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative continues training programs for students of the National School of the Judiciary, strengthening collaboration between the judiciary and mental health professionals
The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) is continuing its training programs for students of the National School of the Judiciary (ESDi), further enhancing cooperation between the judiciary and mental health experts.
With Decision 105/3-6-2024 of the ESDi Board of Directors, a collaboration between CAMHI and the National School of the Judiciary was approved for the development of an educational program focusing on psychosocial, developmental, and behavioral issues affecting children and adolescents.
The program bridges theory and practice through experiential learning methods and is addressed to students in the Civil and Criminal Justice, Prosecutorial, and Magistrates’ tracks.
Implementation 2024–2025
As part of this collaboration, the following training activities were conducted for ESDi students:
- June 2024: Two-day in-person seminars in Athens and Thessaloniki, attended by 84 students from the 29th training cohort
- June 2025: One-day training sessions for the 30th cohort, through a blended learning model (asynchronous preparation materials and in-person training)
Topics explored key areas of cooperation between mental health professionals and judicial officers, including:
- child abuse, trauma, and child protection
- juvenile delinquency and behavioral concerns
- high-conflict divorce and family law cases
- roles and interfaces between judicial authorities and mental health services
Methodology & Evaluation
The training is based on clinical case studies, experiential exercises, and active learning.
Content is updated annually, informed by evaluation data and participant needs.
CAMHI systematically collects feedback via pre- and post-training questionnaires, assessing knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction levels, ensuring continuous refinement of both materials and delivery.
Outcomes & Impact
Evaluation of the 2024 seminars showed 78.2% high satisfaction, rising to 98% in 2025.
Participants emphasized the importance of returning to a two-day format, strengthening practical components, and deepening training on child communication.
The results underscore the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the institutional integration of mental health training in judicial education.
“The training was extremely satisfying and especially valuable for our future judicial duties, led by exceptional speakers!” — ESDi Student, Thessaloniki 2025
Continuing education for active judicial officers
In parallel, CAMHI participated in two major ESDi training programs for sitting judicial officers:
- December 2024: Seminar on Child Protection, with 835 participants
- June 2025: Workshop on Social Media, with 439 participants
The large turnout reflects the strong demand for ongoing, specialized training on child mental health and protection, underscoring the need for structured, evidence-based approaches with institutional adoption.
Next steps
For the academic year 2025–2026, plans include:
- continued training for ESDi students
- continued involvement in training programs for active judicial officers
- deeper focus on practical themes such as communication with minors and managing high-conflict cases
- submission of a proposal to the Ministry of Justice for formalizing the collaboration, including developing a training program for active judicial officers and a parallel program for juvenile probation officers
CAMHI remains committed to strengthening cooperation between judicial authorities and mental health professionals to promote the safety and mental well-being of children and adolescents.
About the Program
The training program for students of the National School of the Judiciary is implemented by a nationwide network of public-sector mental health institutions and professionals, in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute (New York), and is exclusively supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) under the SNF Global Health Initiative.
Learn more about CAMHI’s judicial training programs here.