This document provides information about the "III European Regional Consultation for child helplines" taking place from October 5-7, 2009 in Milan, Italy. It discusses the focus on new communication technologies, regional collaboration, and the strategic direction of Child Helpline International. The document also provides logistical details about travel to Milan, the host hotel, meals, venues, programs, and city information.

1. INFORMATION PACKAGE

2. WELCOME
The Child Helpline International (CHI) Secretariat and Telefono Azzurro have the pleasure to
welcome you to the “III European Regional Consultation for child helplines” in Milan. From 5 – 7
October 2009 the capital of the Lombard region will host participants from over 40 European
countries. Together with you we look forward to this exciting combination of great networking
opportunities for child helplines and their partners and the unique Milanese atmosphere of history,
food and fashion.
This year‟s Consultation primarily focuses on three main topics. Firstly, it will highlight the issue of
new communication technologies which are taken up by children and young people first and foremost
and therefore become more and more important for child helplines. Secondly, it will provide a platform
to discuss the opportunities and challenges that come with sharing a common telephone number and
brand on a wider regional level. And thirdly, it will initiate a dialogue amongst the membership about
the strategic direction of the network and therewith start shaping the future of CHI.
This document contains all important information regarding the logistics and the program of the “III
European Regional Consultation for child helplines” and includes a number of Hyperlinks you can use
for further reading on the web.
CHI and Telefono Azzurro wish you a pleasant stay in Milan and a stimulating, informative and
successful Consultation.
_____________________________________________
MILAN
Milan (Milano), situated on the flat plains of the Po Valley, is the capital of Lombardy and thoroughly
enjoys its hard-earned role as Italy's richest and second largest city. Wealthy and cosmopolitan, the
Milanesi enjoy a reputation as successful business people, equally at home overseas and in Italy.
Embracing tradition, sophistication and ambition in equal measure, they are just as likely to follow
opera at La Scala as their shares on the city's stock market or their two soccer teams at the San Siro
Stadium.
Three times in its history, the city had to rebuild after being conquered. Founded in the seventh
century BC by Celts, the city, then known as Mediolanum („mid-plain'), was first sacked by the Goths

3. in the 600s (AD), then by Barbarossa in 1157 and finally by the Allies in WW II, when over a quarter of
the city was flattened.
Milan successively reinvented herself under French, Spanish and then Austrian rulers from 1499 until
the reunification of Italy in 1870. It is a miracle that so many historic treasures still exist, including
Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which survived a direct hit in WWII.
Milan is founded around a historic nucleus radiating from the cathedral (Il Duomo), with a star-shaped
axis of arteries spreading through modern suburbs to the ring road. The modern civic centre lies to
the northwest, around Central Station, and is dominated by the Pirelli skyscraper, which dates from
1956. The trade and fashion fairs take place in the Fiera district, west of the nucleus around the Porta
Genova station.
Milan's economic success was founded at the end of the 19th century, when the metal factories and
the rubber industries moved in, replacing agriculture and mercantile trading as the city's main sources
of income. Milan's position at the heart of a network of canals, which provided the irrigation for the
Lombard plains and the important trade links between the north and south, became less important as
industry took over - and the waterways were filled. A few canals remain in the Navigli district near the
Bocconi University, a fashionable area in which to drink and listen to live music.
Since the 1970s, Milan has remained the capital of Italy's automobile industry and its financial
markets, but the limelight is dominated by the fashion houses, which, in turn, have drawn media and
advertising agencies to the city. Milan remains the marketplace for Italian fashion - fashion
aficionados, supermodels and international paparazzi descend upon the city twice a year for its spring
and autumn fairs. Valentino, Versace and Armani may design and manufacture their clothes
elsewhere, but Milan, which has carefully guarded its reputation for flair, drama and creativity, is Italy's
natural stage
ARRIVAL AND GENERAL INFORMATION
Milan has two principal airports: Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa. Moreover, many Budget flights
also use Bergamo Airport, as well easily accessible from Milan centre. Initially it was planned to
organise pick-up services for all participants from and to the airports. However this turned out much
more cost intensive than foreseen. Therefore participants are requested to use public transport from
and to their arrival and departure airports. The Secretariat will reimburse the costs for this return trip

4. by public transport to you upon provision of receipts at the Regional Consultation. In the Conference
Orientation session on Monday we will inform you about the logistics of reimbursements. The below
descriptions will guide you on your way to the Hotel.
Milan Malpensa Airport
Malpensa is the principal airport for Milan, serving airlines and flights from all around the world. A fast
rail service, the half-hourly Malpensa Express train, connects the airport to “Cadorna Stazione Nord”
in Milan. A ticket costs €9, and the journey takes 50 minutes. From “Cadorna Stazione Nord” catch
the Underground Line 2 (the green line on the map), direction “Cologno/Gessate” and get off at
“Garibaldi F.S.” Leaving the station follow the signs to exit "Passante Ferroviario" and “Via Guglielmo
Pepe”. Proceed for about 400 meters on “Via Guglielmo Pepe” (sometimes referred to as simply “Via
Pepe") until the end of the street. On your right hand side you will find the “Holiday Inn Milan Garibaldi
Station”. See the walk from the station to the hotel on this map.
Milan Linate Airport
Linate is the closest airport to the centre of Milan. The airport is mostly used for domestic and
European flights. From Linate an efficient coach service runs directly to “Piazza Luigi di Savoia”, next
to “Stazione Centrale”. The bus runs every 30 minutes during the day; the journey takes 30 minutes
and costs €2. Take the green Metro line direction “Famagosta” or “Abbiategrasso” which connects
“Stazione Centrale” directly to “Stazione Garibaldi F.S.” Leaving the station follow the signs to exit
"Passante Ferroviario" and “Via Guglielmo Pepe”. Proceed for about 400 meters on “Via Guglielmo
Pepe” (sometimes referred to as simply “Via Pepe") until the end of the street. On your right hand side
you will find the “Holiday Inn Milan Garibaldi Station”. See the walk from the station to the hotel on this
map.
Bergamo Orio Al Serio Airport
Frequent bus services run from the Bergamo Orio Al Serio airport to Milan “Stazione Centrale”. Two
companies, Autostradale and Orioshuttle operate half-hourly coach services to Milan's main railway
station, “Stazione Centrale”. Travel from Bergamo Airport to Milan costs around 9 EUR one way, and
around 17 EUR for a return. The journey takes around an hour. Buy your tickets at the “Autostradale”
or “Orioshuttle” offices in the arrivals hall of Orio Al Serio airport. Take the green Metro line direction
“Famagosta” or “Abbiategrasso” which connects “Stazione Centrale” directly to “Stazione Garibaldi
F.S.” Leaving the station follow the signs to exit "Passante Ferroviario" and “Via Guglielmo Pepe”.
Proceed for about 400 meters on “Via Guglielmo Pepe” (sometimes referred to as simply “Via Pepe")

5. until the end of the street. On your right hand side you will find the “Holiday Inn Milan Garibaldi
Station”. See the walk from the station to the hotel on this map.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MILAN
The centre of Milan is spread over a fairly large area, but the public transport system is cheap,
efficient and fairly swift. It is possible to travel between the central sights on foot, but further afield the
streets are often dull, and your time is better saved by jumping on a tram, bus or metro.
Milan's public transport system is extensive, and you would be well advised to pick up a map showing
routes if you are planning to be in Milan a few days. The network is run by a company called ATM,
and tickets are valid on all the types of public transport. A single ticket lasts 75 minutes and costs
EUR 1. You can use it on as many buses and trams as you like, but you are only permitted one metro
journey. Most useful for tourists are the 24 hour and 48 hour tickets (EUR 3 and EUR 5.50
respectively). Tickets can be bought at news kiosks, bars and at the Tourist Information Centre in
“Stazione Centrale”. Stamp your ticket in the machine provided the first time you use it (machines are
onboard buses and trams, and at the entrance gates to the Metro).
Milan's underground train network, the Metro (or Metropolitana) is quite user-friendly. There are three
lines, distinguished by number and colour. M1 (red) is useful for tourist attractions and the Fiera. M3
(yellow) intersects with M1 at Duomo (the station right in front of the Duomo) and with M2 (green) at
Stazione Centrale, Milan's main railway station (sometimes marked as Centrale FS). You need to
know the final destinations of the train you want, as the platforms are labelled according to the end
destination (e.g. Direzione Famagosta). Where a line separates, check the train's destination to be
sure you're on the right branch. 'FS' in a name signifies a mainline railway station.
Trams and buses run busily around the city. Their stops are clearly marked by the side of the street;
stops are listed on the sign, with an arrow to show direction of travel. A map comes in handy for
working out the location of the stops listed. Take care when getting on or off trams (or driving behind
them); they are sometimes constrained to stop for passengers, level with the signpost, with enough
space for vehicles to pass between the tram and the pavement.
HOLIDAY INN MILAN GARIBALDI STATION
Via Ugo Bassi 1/A angolo C. Farini
20159, Milan
Tel: +39 02 6076801 (or call +31 62 78 988 41 in case further assistance needed)

6. Check in time: 14:00
Check out time: 12:00
The Holiday Inn Hotel Garibaldi Station is located in the business district of Milan, close to the old city
and to the fair ground. It is situated near “Stazione Garibaldi” which is two stops away from Central
Station (both are on Metro line 2, the Green Line on the Metro map). To reach the hotel from
“Staziona Garibaldi” leave the Station following the signs to exit "Passante Ferroviario" and “Via
Guglielmo Pepe”. Proceed for about 400 meters on “Via Guglielmo Pepe” (sometimes referred to as
simply “Via Pepe") until the end of the street. On your right hand side you will find the “Holiday Inn
Milan Garibaldi Station”. See the walk from the station to the hotel on the map.
From the “Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station” you can easily access all Lombardy airports. You can reach
all sights, the fair ground, museums, theatres and shopping areas in the centre either walking or
through a short ride with public transport. The underground from “Stazione Garibaldi” connects you
quickly with the centre. The nearest tram lines that connect with the city are numbers 29 and 30, not
far from the hotel. Tram 4 and 11, and Bus lines 51, 70 and 41 stop right in front the hotel. Please ask
at the Hotel reception for more detailed and up to date information.
WEATHER IN OCTOBER
The climate in Milan is typically Mediterranean, with high temperatures and sunny days in the summer
and colder, damper weather in the winter. Milan's low seasons tend to fall between April to June and
September to October. Since temperatures are lower than in the summer October is usually quite
pleasant.
Average Temperature (°C)
30
22
15
8
0 Jan
1.0
Feb
3.0
Mar
7.0
Apr
10.0
May
15.0
Jun
19.0
Jul
22.0
Aug
21.0
Sep
18.0
Oct
12.0
Nov
6.0
Dec
2.0

7. ELECTRICAL CURRENT
The electrical current in Italy is 220 volts. Wall outlets take plugs with two rounded prongs.
INTERNET
The “Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station” provides Internet connections both in the rooms and in the
business centres. The hotel has two internet areas. One is located in the hall, the other close to the
meeting rooms. The hotel sells prepaid cards to be used at the business centres or from your laptops.
There is no wireless connection in the hotel but the hotel lends cables that can be used to connect
your private laptops in the rooms.
COSTS
The registration fee covers the accommodation and meals according to your agreements made with
the CHI Secretariat upon your registration for the event. All costs outside this agreement have to be
covered by you. This includes all costs for room service and bar.
VENUES
This year‟s European Regional Consultation will be held at several different venues.
The Opening Day of the Consultation will be held at the historical Palazzo Visconti Socrea (Via Cino
del Duca, 8), a unique events facility in the heart of Milan. The beautiful palace owes its birth to Carlos
Bolanos, a leader among the Spanish Counts Bolanos, who commissioned this family building in the
XVII century. Palazzo Visconti is one of the most elegant examples of the Lombard Baroque.
Transport to Palazzo Visconti Socrea will be provided from the Holiday Inn hotel and back.
Tuesday 6 October and Wednesday 7 October will be held at the conference facilities of the “Hotel
Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station”. For these two days, the conference rooms “Farini” and “Lambertenghi”
are booked. You will find sign posts within the hotel to guide you to the meeting rooms.
MEALS
Italy is famous for its beautiful “cucina”. The Italian food and drink will definitely be an added pleasure
to your stay in Milan. Additionally good food is the best fuel for good interactions and networking.
Telefono Azzurro has taken this into consideration when organising the banqueting for the event.

8. If not agreed upon individually, the full conference package encloses three breakfasts, all lunches and
coffee breaks throughout the workshops from Monday to Wednesday, 5-7 October, and two Dinners
on Monday and Tuesday evening.
Breakfasts will be served at the Hotel “Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station”.
Coffee and lunch on Monday will be served at the “Palazzo Visconti Socrea”. On Monday evening
Telefono Azzurro will host you for a Gala Dinner at the beautiful Museo Nazionale Della Scienza E
Tecnologia. The Museum is housed in an early 16th century monastery and is named after Leonardo
Da Vinci, the extraordinary Renaissance intellect who mastered art, science and technology.
Transport between the Museum and the “Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station” will be provided.
On Tuesday coffee and lunch will be served at the “Holiday Inn Garibaldi Station”. After your visit to
Telefono Azzurro and the sightseeing tour you will have dinner at a typical Milanese restaurant close
to the hotel.
On Wednesday 7 October both coffee breaks and lunch will be served at the hotel.
PROGRAM
Monday 5 October: 09:00 – 11:00
Opening Ceremony
Telefono Azzurro has managed to invite a great number of important guests to attend the first day of
the Regional Consultation. Throughout the Opening Session we all will be together at the Palazzo
Visconti Socrea.
Monday 5 October: 11:00 – 11:30
Poster Presentation and Coffee
You are invited to bring posters and other info materials to introduce your child helpline service to the
conference delegates. Palazzo Visconti Socrea is a historic building so we are not allowed to pin-up
posters at the walls. Just outside the room of the Opening Ceremony you will find tables that you can
use to display your material. Coffee will be available throughout this session so feel free to grab a
cup, stroll around and have a chat with your colleagues from all over Europe.

9. For the rest of the day Telefono Azzurro will carry out workshops together with their national partners
in Italian language. The CHI membership will convene in a separate room. You will find sign posts in
the Palazzo Visconti Socrea to guide you to the meeting rooms.
Monday 5 October: 11:30 – 12:00
Conference Orientation
In this session, the Organising Team of the Secretariat will quickly run you through all the logistical
details of the event. Although this information package contains most of the needed information, we
will clarify issues such as the transfer between the hotel and the location of the Gala Dinner, the visit
to Telefono Azzurro, the sightseeing tour, the reimbursement of your transfer ticket between the
airport and the hotel, lunch, coffee breaks and possible modifications in the program. Please save all
your related questions for this session. We are happy to answer them there.
Monday 5 October: 12:00 – 13:00
Task Force Update
After the International Consultation in Jordan (2008) the new Advocacy and PSP (Principles,
Standards, Practices) Task Forces have started their work. At the end of this document, you find a
detailed overview of their activities and discussions. In this session, the European Task Force
representatives would like to collect your feedback to assist them in the upcoming meetings.
Monday 5 October: 14:00 – 17:30
Shape The Future Of Child Helpline International From A European Perspective
Introduction
Since its inception in 2003, CHI ran through two major strategic periods. The first strategic period from
2003-2006 had its main focus on the establishment and growth of an international network of child
helplines. The second strategic period from 2007-2010 focussed on the consolidation of the network
and the services provided by the Secretariat. At the moment CHI is preparing the third stage with the
development of its strategy 2011-2015.
With the international network growing and the issues relevant for the CHI membership diversifying,
this third strategic period will incorporate regionally specific needs and recommendations into its
overall strategy. Therefore, CHI is excited to use the opportunity of the “III European Regional
Consultation” to discuss the strategic direction and activities of the network from a regionally specific
point of view. We look forward to your important input into this session which will enable us to develop
services relevant and beneficial to your daily work.

10. The Workshop
The objective of this workshop is to collect as much information and feedback as possible from your
point of view related to CHI‟s current strategic objectives and activities. Moreover you can suggest
additional activities you would like CHI to include into its portfolio. Therefore your active participation
and input are crucial. In a nutshell we would like you to tell us:
What do you want Child Helpline International to do in the coming years?
Important hereby is to cross check the discussed activities according to their influence on your daily
work, not only in terms of additional benefits but as well of additional contributions. For that reason
please always bear in mind:
What would be your possible and feasible level of engagement into these activities?
Throughout the workshop you will be given the opportunity to work both in groups and individually.
The results of this session will feed into the development of the upcoming overall strategy of CHI and
therefore directly shape the future of our network. Hence we would like to encourage you to discuss
this opportunity with your colleagues prior to your departure to Milan and form an opinion on CHI‟s
past performance as well as your wishes for the future. We understand that the time allocated to this
session is limited. Therefore we will leave the flip charts and other working documents of this session
accessible throughout the entire conference in case you would like to add contributions at a later
stage.
Facilitators:
Mieke Schuurman (Consultant for European Affairs, Former Secretary General EURONET), Peter
Irgens (BRIS, Sweden, European Representative on the CHI Supervisory Board), Eva Kerpel (Kek
Vonal, Hungary, European Representative on the CHI PSP Task Force), Maggie Lazaridis (The
Smile Of The Child, Greece, European Representative on the CHI Advocacy Task Force).
Tuesday 6 October: 09:00 – 09:30
Open Space Session - Concentric Circle:
“Open Space” represents a self-organising process where workshop participants construct the
agenda during the meeting itself. Open Space sessions should serve two main purposes. Firstly it
should give an opportunity to incorporate issues that are not covered by the conference agenda.
Secondly they lend themselves perfectly for breaking the ice in multinational meetings in which
participants have to get familiar with one another.

11. Open Space meetings have a single facilitator who initiates and concludes the meeting and explains
the general method. The facilitator has no other role in the meeting and does not control the actual
gathering in any way.
At the beginning of this Open Space session participants will sit in a circle. Participants willing to raise
a topic will come to the centre of the circle, write it on a sheet of paper and announce it to the group
before placing it on a flip chart.
To be prepared for this session, please review the latest program of the conference prior to your
departure and discuss it within your organisation. This will help you to identify possible additional
topics that could be raised throughout the Open Space session. Throughout the Concentric Circle you
are welcome to raise both, issues you would like to share and present on and topics you would like to
know more about. All contributions are welcome!
After all topics have been introduced and explained the participants will be asked to indicate their
interest to attend one session or another through show of hands. Once the groups are identified they
will quickly come together to discuss about the where, who and how of their session which will then
be added as additional information to the flip chart. The flip chart will eventually become the agenda
for the meetings that will take place on Wednesday morning between 09:00 and 10:30. Each group
has to identify one volunteer to briefly report back the highlights of the groups work into the plenum
after the session.
Please bear in mind:
Even after you have chosen to participate in a particular workshop you have the right to move around
as you like. If you feel you have landed in a situation from which you cannot learn anything or to which
you cannot contribute anything: use your own two feet to walk to a more appropriate place. Feel free
to walk around to look and discuss what is going on in other groups and join in when you like it.
Tuesday 6 October: 09:30 – 11:00
Social Networking For Child Helplines
After the “II European Regional Consultation for child helplines” in Romania in 2007, CHI received
requests from member organisations to provide a platform addressing issues related to New
Communication Technologies. Consequently, a pilot working group consisting of these organisations
has been launched in 2008. The group has met twice so far and discussed issues like Social
Networking, Virtual Realities and other technology topics related to child helplines.

12. One outcome of these group meetings was the recommendation to the Secretariat to develop an
online Social Network for child helplines. This network should enable a regular exchange on
technology issues amongst the CHI membership. Furthermore it should provide options for open
discussions, sharing relevant information and offer opportunities for child helplines to display their
own services.
Throughout this session the newly developed CHI Social Network will be launched and its
functionalities explained. You will receive an invitation to join this network together with some basic
user guidelines right after this session. A network only becomes a network with people networking.
Therefore the success of this online network highly depends on your usage and active participation.
Consequently the purpose of this session will be to display the basic features of this website and to
enable you to use it right away. Please use this opportunity to ask questions and seek clarifications
for your queries regarding the usage of this site so that you, your colleagues and your entire child
helpline service can benefit from its opportunities.
Facilitator: Jorik Korenromp
Having worked as “Innovation Manager” for Royal KPN, the incumbent telecom operator in the
Netherlands for many years, Jorik Korenromp is currently providing independent consultancy services
for different companies such as Sanoma Magazines and HP. Specialized in new media and using
new media to accomplish companies‟ goals he operates where technology meets business and
marketing. Since autumn 2008 Jorik Korenromp has advised CHI in its endeavour to address the field
of New Communication Technologies in relation to child helplines. His first contact with the work of
CHI was made through YONECO, our Malawian member organisation, which he assisted in the
setting-up and maintenance of its child helpline service.
Tuesday 6 October: 11:15 – 13:00
Skype And Child Helplines
Throughout last year the Secretariat received several requests to address the issue of VoIP (Voice
over Internet Protocol) services in relation to child helplines. VoIP is a technology used to make
telephone calls via the internet. In general this technology enables phone conversations from
computer to computer but as well from computer to fixed or mobile phone lines.
Skype is one of the best known and most downloaded VoIP applications and is used by young people
all over the world. A possible cooperation between CHI and Skype bears various opportunities for
child helplines, especially in Europe. But what exactly is Skype and how does it work? What are the

13. exact opportunities and what are the challenges, especially when talking about child helpline
services?
This session will shine light on the above and many other questions you might have when thinking
about the combination of VoIP and your child helpline service. Please use this unique occasion for
first hand discussions with representatives form Skype Technologies S.A., the company behind
Skype.
Facilitators:
Jacqueline Marshall
Manager CSR Program
Skype Technologies S.A.
Martin Rand
Product Manager
Skype Technologies S.A.
Tuesday 6 October: 14:00 – 18:00
Visit To Telefono Azzurro Call Centre and Guided Sightseeing Tour
Details of this afternoon will be shared with you in the Conference Orientation session on Monday 5
October by the Organising Team.
Wednesday 7 October: 09:00 – 10:30
Open Space
The actual workshops, meetings, presentations, discussions, etc, as agreed in the Concentric Circle
on Tuesday morning will take place now. We hope you get inspired and enjoy a fruitful exchange of
knowledge, ideas, opinions, business cards, data or other information. Remember: You are free to
change groups in case you feel like it.
Wednesday 7 October: 10:30 – 11:00
Feedback and Conclusions
This session will bring the different groups from the Open Space back into the plenum. One spokes
person per working group will share the outcomes and highlights of their respective groups. This will
create additional synergy amongst the groups and further actions can be discussed.

14. Wednesday 7 October: 11:15 – 13:00
Child Impact Assessment
Over 14 million children have called child helplines around the world last year. More than half of these
calls came from children in Europe. This high number can be interpreted as success and proof that
child helplines are accepted as important tools for assistance by children.
It is understood that child helplines do a great job in being available for children that seek a listening
ear. However, many people working for child helplines have questions like:
- What happens after the conversation?
- Are we making a real difference in a child‟s life?
- What is the difference in impact between telephone counselling and online counselling?
These questions might as well be asked by possible donors and sponsors of child helplines. Yet, they
are difficult to answer; even more so because child helplines focus a lot on prevention. But how do
you measure events that did not happen thanks to your intervention?
We need to get a better understanding of the exact impact child helpline services have on the lives of
children and young people. Child helplines have expressed the need to develop systematic processes
to assess and measure this impact. Eventually this will help to facilitate better planning,
implementation and evaluation of child helpline services.
The purpose of this workshop is to collect an overview of good practices of child helplines on these
issues. Moreover it will introduce results of a study carried out by the University of Amsterdam and will
ask you to jointly discuss opportunities for further action of the network.
Facilitator: Ruben Fukkink
Ruben Fukkink is a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences of the
University of Amsterdam. He carried out a study for the Dutch child helpline on children‟s experiences
with „De Kindertelefoon‟ and compared support over telephone with support over chat. Ruben Fukkink
also assisted the Secretariat analysing the data collected from the membership for the Connecting to
Children publication.

15. Wednesday 7 October: 14:00 – 13:00
European Quality Standards And 116 111
At this moment, the European harmonised number 116 111 has been assigned to child helplines in 17
European countries. Now that more and more countries are actually starting to use this number,
certain questions have to be addressed by the content providers of the service. What does it really
mean to share a number with many other organisations? Do we all understand the same when we
think of 116 111? How can we ensure to provide certain minimum quality standards on a wider
regional level?
The purpose of this session is to start this important discussion, to share hopes and fears and get a
common understanding of the responsibilities that come with operating 116 111. A small panel
comprising of three very different child helpline services will start this discussion which will later be
opened up to the whole group.
On the panel:
Catalina Florea (Executive Director of Telefonul Copilului in Romania), Lee Mitchell (Assistant
Director Services for children and young people, NSPCC/Childline UK) and Ernesto Caffo (President
of Telefono Azzurro, Italy).
Facilitator:
Leen Decadt (Head of Programs, CHI Secretariat)

16. UP-DATE FROM THE SUPERVISORY BOARD
Dear European members!
Just less than a year has passed since Amman, where I became your Regional Representative on the
CHI Supervisory Board. During this time I have had at least one monthly telephone meeting with the
European Program Manager at the Secretariat, where update each other and discuss current issues.
On top of the list have been things like:
- Communication with the European Commission on the European harmonised number for child
helplines 116 111;
- The preparation of the funding application for EU-/ Daphne grants for 2009, which in the
meantime has turned out to be successful;
- Membership criteria and the 2009 round of Data & PSP checklist collections;
- Different issues relevant to the individual country work of the Secretariat;
- and recently, much work has been directed to preparing for this Regional Consultation.
Additionally we have also started having quarterly telephone meetings with the European Task force
representatives, to exchange information and better coordinate the efforts for the region.
The Supervisory Board has met once (March 2009) since the International Consultation in Amman.
The first day was reserved for the hand-over from the outgoing to the incoming board members and
up-dates from the Secretariat. The second day produced the more formal meeting, where the agenda
had items like:
1. Annual report & financials for 2008;
2. Annual plan & budget for 2009;
3. Membership processes for new members and other membership related issues. Three European
members were approved full membership throughout this meeting. The “SOS 1209” Hotline from
Bosnia & Herzegovina officially joined CHI that day. The “Nadja Centre Foundation” from
Bulgaria and “Lapsemure” from Estonia were promoted from Associate membership;
4. The sponsorship protocols for CHI events;
5. Approval of “Telefono Anar” from Spain as host for the International Consultation 2010.
The next SB-meeting will be held 20 October. This meeting will be dominated by CHI‟s future
strategy. Therefore I encourage you to actively participate in the session “Shape The Future Of Child

17. Helpline International From A European Perspective” in the afternoon of the Opening Day at the
Regional Consultation.
I very much look forward to seeing you all in Milan!
Peter Irgens
CHI Regional Representative for Europe
BRIS, Sweden
UP-DATE FROM THE PSP TASK FORCE
The PSP (Principles, Standards, Practices) Task Force met in April.
1. A parallel initiative by the Supervisory Board and myself was to indicate in communication the
inclusive nature of CHI: when CHI is mentioned the members are understood, and when we talk
about the Secretariat, it will be called the Secretariat, not CHI.
2. The PSP Task Force initiated a higher level of cooperation with the other Task Force(s) –
currently there is only one other, the Advocacy Task Force, and the Data advisory group. Many
topics are discussed parallel in both Task Forces so it will be useful to coordinate the decisions.
Accordingly Task Force minutes will be shared and the improvement of the Glossary that so far
has been edited only by the Advocacy Task Force alone will now be a joint responsibility of both
Task Forces.
3. The PSP Task Force will be involved in any issue concerning the professional work of the
helplines.
4. The PSP checklists will be used to analyse the needs of the helplines and the Task Force is
invited to act upon the ideas by the members expressed through the PSP checklist or in other
ways.
More in depth analysis of the checklists is needed, concentrating on regional and sub-regional
specifics. To facilitate this, an intern is included in the work in the summer, and the Task Force
members have agreed to have a look at the checklists of their regions while ensuring
confidentiality. Any publication/communication of findings from the checklists will need the consent
of the relevant member organization.
5. In order to facilitate higher participation of members in the actions of CHI and quicker responses
by the Secretariat, there is a suggestion that the membership should consider having the
international consultations less frequently, (e.g. every 4-5 years) and in this way free up resources
for more frequent regional, sub-regional and thematic meetings. Decisions requiring General
Assembly votes could be made by casting votes in e-mail. This idea should be discussed at the
RC.

18. 6. As from 2009 members are asked to send their annual reports to the Secretariat. The information
that is collected from the members will be used for advocacy purposes therefore meeting the
minimum standards for annual reports published in the Good Governance manual is highly
desirable. Any member needing assistance in this can get is from the Secretariat.
7. The Task Force discussed the need for screening procedures for employees and volunteers
working at the helplines. As there are very different ways of screening the Task Force decided to
collect the views, experience, opinions of the members before asking for evidence on any such
procedures at the helplines.
8. Ever since CHI was formed there has been much debate on membership criteria. An earlier
recommendation of the PSP Task Force was to accept 3 criteria for full membership: to pay the
membership fee; to fill in Data proforma; to fill in the PSP checklist.
This recommendation has not been approved by the earlier Board of CHI and was not put into
action prior to 2009.
The recommendation of the newly formed PSP Task Force is to make sure that these
requirements are known and understood by the members and to provide further assistance to
those who have difficulties meeting these criteria. At the same time members who regularly do not
respond to these requests will be asked for explanation.
The Task Force did not decide on the way to proceed, who and how will process the information
on members not meeting these requirements. Further elaboration by the Task Force will be
needed on this topic.
As to membership criteria, the Task Force needs to make further recommendations, concentrating
more on the professional quality of the actual helpline work. Such criteria are, to some extent,
already used when assessing new applicants.
9. From the low number of initiatives it is apparent that members are still not sufficiently informed on
the opportunity of getting support from CHI funds for peer exchanges, visits to each other or joint
programs. Task Force members along with the Secretariat will need to promote this possibility of
bi- or multilateral cooperation to the members.
10. Some manuals and training materials (Counseling, Advocacy, Building your child helpline) need
to be completed/ updated, Task Force members contribute to this.
11. There are too many differences among the members in the understanding of child participation
as a concept and the current practices of child participation. Further discussion is necessary on
this topic by members at the regional consultation and in other forms.
12. A standard question on CHI‟s work is: what sort of impact it has on the lives of children. An impact
assessment is necessary but it is hard to decide in what way this can be measured. The two
steps of assessment can be:
a. CHI impact on member helpline services;

19. b. Member helplines‟ impact on children‟s lives.
Task Force members will recommend indicators for the first one. The latter is hard to measure as
well, Task Force members will collect ideas and return to this point at the next meeting.
13.The next meeting of the PSP Task Force will be on October 12-13, 2009.
Throughout the Regional Consultation in Milan we will have a one hour session dedicated to the work
of the Task Forces. I will get in contact with you directly to provide you with some additional
information regarding this session.
Eva Kerpel
European Representative and Chair of PSP Task Force
Kek Vonal, Hungary
UP-DATE FROM THE ADVOCACY TASK FORCE
1. Corporal Punishment
It was discussed if CHI should get more involved in Advocacy issues related to corporal
punishment. To facilitate a decision on this topic the Advocacy Task Force will
a. Carry out a mapping regarding the specific situation in the different countries and collect
information on how many countries actually have laws banning corporal punishment and what
they exactly look like;
b. Prepare a discussion paper that will be presented to the Supervisory Board to get a decision
on the way forward;
c. First steps should be to have a discussion on the issue in the network and work towards a
common understanding and stance.
2. Advocacy Manual
A draft version of the Advocacy Manual has been compiled. The Secretariat hopes the finish the
narrative before the end of the year. It should then be published by the end of quarter 1 of 2010.
3. May 17
International Child Helpline Day will be celebrated again next year on 17 May. We would like to
invite you to celebrate the day and promote your child helpline and the network with partners,
stakeholders and children.

20. 4. November 20
The Task Force discussed CHI‟s role in the annual UNCRC celebrations on November 20. It was
decided to explore ways in which the network can start to celebrate the Convention in a concerted
manner. The Secretariat will explore ways to do so.
5. Data collection
To make better use of the annual data collection of the membership it was decided to publish
additional factsheets summarising highlights and annual and regional trends.
6. Impact assessment study
To better know and display the effect of child helplines on children and to better support
awareness raising and fundraising initiatives of the network and its members a needs assessment
study needs to be carried out. Therefore
a. The Secretariat will collect information about existing initiatives from within and outside of the
CHI the membership as a first step;
b. The information will be used to implement an impact assessment study of child helplines
under the direction of the PSP Task Force.
I look forward to meeting you all in Milan.
Maggie Lazaridis
European Representative on the CHI Advocacy Task Force
The Smile Of The Child, Greece