The new “Sofi Varvitsioti” Child Safety Care Unit has started operating in the B’ Pediatric Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA) at the “P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital. This new unit is the first specialized hospital space for the examination and interdisciplinary management of children suspected of abuse or neglect.
In the appropriately equipped space at the University of Athens, members of the new unit are able to:
- Evaluate, in cooperation with the treating physicians of the hospital, potential cases of abused children as part of an interdisciplinary team.
- Examine these children and their families.
- Systematically record the cases and ensure their timely and proper handling.
- Offer regular public awareness services and conduct preventive actions to protect children from violence and neglect.
- Provide specialized information and advice to doctors managing cases across the country.
- Coordinate actions for trained pediatricians serving at university hospitals throughout Greece.
- Develop innovative educational programs for all professionals involved in the care of at-risk children for all forms of abuse and neglect.
The inauguration ceremony of the unit took place on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
