Strengthen integrated child protection systems (CPS) incl. via cross-sectoral collaboration, and ensure child-centred, coordinated responses to violen...

EU call CERV-2026 funds projects to strengthen integrated child protection systems and child‑centred responses to violence against children, contributing to the Commission Recommendation on integrated CPS. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium (minimum two beneficiaries) that includes a public authority as lead or co-applicant, with lead applicants non-profit; beneficiaries must be legal entities established in EU Member States or CERV-associated countries and organisations working with children must provide child protection documentation. Indicative budget for Priority 5 is €3,000,000 with individual grants between €200,000 and €600,000 for projects of 12–24 months, awarded as lump sum grants; submission deadline is 3 November 2026, 17:00 CET via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals are evaluated on Relevance (40 pts, min 25), Quality (40 pts) and Impact (20 pts) with an overall pass threshold of 70/100 and must demonstrate robust child safeguarding, measurable indicators and plans for systemic change.

What it funds

Priority under the CERV-2026-DAPHNE call to strengthen integrated child protection systems, promote child-centred multidisciplinary responses to violence against children, and support implementation of the Commission Recommendation on integrated CPS. Activities can include prevention, early detection/reporting, multidisciplinary support models, capacity-building, national action plans and monitoring frameworks; practical implementation projects are prioritised over pure research.

Who can apply

Eligible applicants are legal entities (public bodies, non-profit and other organisations or international organisations) established in EU Member States or countries participating in the CERV programme. For this topic participation of a public authority (local, regional or national) is mandatory in the consortium. Projects under this topic must be submitted by a consortium (see call for precise partner requirements).

Deadline:3 November 2026, 17:00 CET. Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page Topic page ¹

1. 1Indicative total call budget €21,000,000 (all 5 priorities combined).
2. 2Indicative funding for Priority 5 (Children/CPS): €3,000,000.
3. 3Project budget per grant for this topic: €200,000 to €600,000.
4. 4Project duration: 12 to 24 months.
5. 5Funding form: lump sum grant with funding rate normally 90%.

Priority 5 requires meaningful child participation and robust child safeguarding:private organisations directly involving children must submit a Child Protection Policy; public bodies must provide a signed Child Protection Policy Declaration. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this specific topic (it is mandatory only in Priority 1 regranting).

Selection criteria follow the call document:Relevance (40 pts), Quality (40 pts) and Impact (20 pts); individual relevance threshold 25/40 and overall pass 70/100. Projects must respect EU values, data protection and ethics; child safeguarding and risk management measures will be scored under Quality.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, templates and detailed topic description are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page linked above; read the Call Document for eligibility rules, mandatory annexes, budget calculations and regranting rules where applicable.

Title:Strengthen integrated child protection systems (CPS) including through cross-sectoral collaboration, and ensure child-centred, coordinated responses to violence against children, to contribute to the implementation of Commission Recommendation on integrated CPS. Call: Call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children (CERV-2026-DAPHNE). Topic identifier: CERV-2026. Deadline: 3 November 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Publication and opening: call published 07 July 2026; submission system open. Programme: Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) 2021-2027. Funding instrument: CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-LS / CERV-AG-LS).

Primary objective:To support systemic change by strengthening integrated child protection systems in the EU through multidisciplinary cooperation among public authorities, professionals and civil society and by ensuring child-centred, coordinated and rights-based prevention, detection and responses to all forms of violence against children. Projects under this topic should contribute to implementing the Commission Recommendation on integrated child protection systems and must include mandatory involvement of a public authority in the consortium.

Key factual features and administrative summary

This topic is one of five priorities under the CERV 2026 Daphne call addressing gender-based violence and violence against children. Projects under this topic (Priority 5) are funded through lump sum grants managed via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The notification and timetable in the call document: evaluation November 2026 – May 2027, information to applicants May 2027, grant agreement signature June–July 2027. The estimated overall call budget is €21,000,000 across priorities; indicative funding for Priority 5 is €3,000,000. Project durations for this priority: 12–24 months. Project budgets for priorities 2–5: €200,000–€600,000. Projects may be national or transnational. Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal; submission model: single-stage.

Detailed categorisation and structured extraction

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants are legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries. For this priority CERV-2026 the consortium MUST include a public authority (municipal/local, regional or national) as lead or co-applicant. Allowed participants include public authorities, non-profit organisations (NGOs/CSOs), private for-profit organisations (as partners), research organisations and international organisations. Programme Contact Points, associations and entities without legal personality may participate under specified conditions. Natural persons are NOT eligible except self-employed sole traders in limited cases. Grassroots CSOs as partners are encouraged. Affiliated entities and associated partners are possible roles described in the call documentation.
2. 2Funding Type: Primary financial mechanism is a grant in the form of a Lump Sum Grant (CERV Lump Sum Grants, CERV-LS / CERV-AG-LS). The grant is a fixed lump sum payable according to deliverables and milestones, with the call indicating a typical funding rate of 90% used to calculate lump sums.
3. 3Consortium Requirement: For Priority 5 (children), a consortium is required and the participation of a public authority at municipal/local, regional or national level is mandatory either as lead or co-applicant. The call allows consortiums that are national or transnational. For other priorities, rules vary (some allow single applicants or require consortia).
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible applicants must be established in EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories) or countries associated to the CERV Programme, or countries with an association agreement in force before grant signature. Activities must take place in eligible countries. The call explicitly addresses EU-level policy implementation and Member State authorities and cross-border cooperation. International organisations may participate under their own rules.
5. 5Target Sector: Thematic sectors targeted include child protection, children victims of violence, social services, education, health (including mental health), judicial and law enforcement sectors, digital/digital safety, sport/leisure/culture sectors, civil society capacity-building, and cross-sectoral public administration collaboration. Overall thematic focus: violence against children prevention, protection and systemic child protection systems (intersection with gender-based violence policies).
6. 6Mentioned Countries: Explicit country list is not enumerated in the topic text; the geographic eligibility refers to the EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to CERV or negotiating association agreements which enter into force before signature. Therefore the explicit region is EU and associated countries; no specific Member State names are required in the topic text.
7. 7Project Stage (expected maturity): The expected maturity is implementation and systemic reform: projects should focus on prevention, early detection, coordinated service delivery, development of national/regional action plans, implementation of tools and protocols, capacity building and demonstration of systemic changes. This corresponds to development, validation and demonstration stages oriented toward policy uptake and system-level change rather than basic research.
8. 8Funding Amount: For Priority 5 the indicative funding envelope is €3,000,000. Individual project requested grant amount for priorities 2–5 must be between €200,000 and €600,000. For Priority 1 (regranting) project budgets vary between €1,000,000 and €2,500,000. The overall call budget is €21,000,000 across the five priorities. The lump sum funding rate used for calculation is 90%.
9. 9Application Type: Open call (Call for proposals), single-stage submission, electronic submission only via the Funding & Tenders Portal. The submission session is available through the Portal and applicants must use the specific application templates within the Submission System.
10. 10Nature of Support: Beneficiaries receive monetary funding (lump sum grants). Under Priority 1 there is mandatory financial support to third parties (regranting) and capacity building; for Priority 5 the support is direct grant funding for projects that deliver policy/system change, capacity building, tools, training and non-financial services. Therefore both monetary support and non-monetary support (capacity-building, training, toolkits, awareness-raising) are part of the call activities.
11. 11Application Stages: The administrative procedure includes: 1) single-stage proposal submission; 2) evaluation (expert evaluation & evaluation committee) leading to ranking; 3) invitation to grant preparation for successful proposals; 4) grant preparation checks (legal entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion checks); and final signature. For applicants this means at least two key stages to pass to obtain funding: evaluation and grant preparation/signature. Operationally the call specifies a single-stage submission followed by evaluation and subsequent grant preparation steps.
12. 12Success Rates: The call text does not provide specific success rates. The call notes that the Commission reserves the right not to award all available funds and to redistribute funds between priorities depending on proposals received. No numerical success rate or expected number of awards for Priority 5 is provided in the topic text.
13. 13Co-funding Requirement: For third parties receiving regrants under Priority 1, third parties are NOT required to provide co-financing. For beneficiaries applying for grants, there is no mandatory co-funding requirement specified for Priority 5; the grant is a lump sum based on the estimated budget and funding rate (90% reference). Applicants should ensure budget realism, but the call does not impose an obligatory co-financing percentage for the main beneficiaries under Priority 5.
14. 14Templates: Application forms and templates: Applicants must use the Application Form Part A (online entry) and Part B (narrative PDF uploaded). Required annexes include: detailed budget table (CERV LSII), CVs of core team, activity report of the last year for the coordinator (and partners for Priority 1), list of previous projects, KPI tool (online), and mandatory child protection policy documentation for participants with activities involving children (private entities must upload a full CPP aligned with Keeping Children Safe Standards; public entities may submit a Child Protection Policy Declaration). Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) and other call documents are available in the Portal Reference Documents. The call document details mandatory work package structure for Priority 1 (WP1 Management incl. regranting, WP2 Financial support to third parties, WP3 Capacity-building, WP4 Communication). For Priority 5, applicants must include work packages, deliverables, milestones and a monitoring and evaluation plan, indicators and baseline/targets. Proposal page limits: Part B 45 pages for priorities 2–5, 70 pages for Priority 1. The call provides an Application Form template and a specific detailed budget table for lump sum calculation. The child protection policy declaration template for public entities is provided and must be uploaded when relevant.

Evaluation and award:Evaluation procedure: single-stage submission; formal admissibility and eligibility checks; external independent experts plus evaluation committee assess proposals against award criteria (Relevance 40 points, Quality 40 points, Impact 20 points). Individual threshold for Relevance: 25/40. Overall threshold: 70/100. Projects that pass thresholds are ranked and may be invited to grant preparation. Grant preparation includes legal entity validation, financial capacity check and exclusion checks. Signature follows successful completion of checks.

Award criteria and scoring:Relevance: 40 points (fit to call, needs analysis, target group, alignment with EU policy and values). Quality: 40 points (concept and methodology, management, child safeguarding, feasibility, cost-effectiveness). Impact: 20 points (expected systemic change, dissemination, sustainability). Passing thresholds: Relevance >= 25 and total >= 70.

Specific requirements and obligations relevant to applicants

1. 1Public authority involvement: Participation of a public authority in the consortium is mandatory for Priority 5 (lead or co-applicant). For Priority 2 and 3 public authority involvement is recommended to improve sustainability and will be scored under impact.
2. 2Child protection policy: Any participant directly involving children (in-person or online) must provide either a full Child Protection Policy (private bodies) aligned with Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards or for public entities a signed Child Protection Policy Declaration. This is a mandatory annex and affects the Quality score and signature.
3. 3Mandatory child safeguarding: All activities involving children must implement strict safeguarding protocols (informed consent, voluntary participation, do no harm, background checks, GDPR compliance).
4. 4Data and indicators: Projects must define indicators, baselines and targets to measure system performance and the impact of child protection interventions; data should be age- and sex-disaggregated where possible.
5. 5Consortium rules: One entity can be coordinator of only one proposal in this call. Consortiums that consist only of a coordinator and affiliated entities or only associated partners are ineligible. Lead applicant must be non-profit for priorities 1,2,3,5 (priority 4 requires public authority as sole or lead applicant).
6. 6Regranting specifics (Priority 1 only): Intermediaries must devote 60–70% of funds to regranting typically; maximum grant per third party €60,000; calls for proposals must be open for at least two months and published in relevant EU languages; third parties cannot be affiliated entities of the intermediary; third parties do not have to co-finance; intermediaries must implement robust management, due diligence, risk mitigation, transparency, publish identity fiches, maintain a dedicated webpage and perform final impact evaluation of third-party projects.
7. 7Lump sum rules: The lump sum must be calculated with the provided detailed budget table; lump sum projects must still respect the eligibility principles for costs, procurement and subcontracting; coordination costs for WP1 should normally not exceed 10% of total (priority 1 may justify higher due to regranting management).
8. 8Reporting and deliverables: Projects must submit progress reports (mid-term, final) and mandatory deliverables including the EU Survey on Justice, Rights and Values participation data for events and, for Priority 1, identity fiches and a mandatory impact report.

Guidance on application materials and templates

Application structure and key templates:Proposals are submitted in four parts: Part A (administrative online data and summarised budget), Part B (technical description, narrative uploaded as PDF using the CERV Application Form template), KPI tool (online), annexes (detailed budget table Excel for lump sum calculation, CVs, activity reports, list of previous projects, child protection policy/declaration, letters of support where relevant). Part B must follow the Part B template structure (Project summary; 1 Relevance; 2 Quality; 3 Impact; 4 Workplan & Work Packages; 5 Other including Ethics and EU values; 6 Declarations; Annexes). Page limits: 70 pages for Priority 1, 45 pages for other priorities. Font and layout requirements: A4 pages, minimum Arial 9, margins at least 15 mm. Supporting documents do not count towards Part B page limit. All applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain PICs before submission. Use the Submission System entry point for the selected Type of Action and Model Grant Agreement; once confirmed you cannot change the chosen MGA type in the system.

Risk management and compliance:Applicants must present a robust risk management and control system, especially where regranting is involved. Systems should cover selection, conflict of interest prevention, due diligence checks, irregularity/fraud detection and reporting, reputational risk mitigation, and monitoring of third parties. Declarations of honour must be used in third party calls to ensure respect for EU values. Intermediaries are responsible for ensuring third parties follow child safeguarding rules and EU values and for putting in place appeal mechanisms and publication of award outcomes (identity fiches and dedicated web pages).

Practical and procedural notes

Submission:electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Do not wait until the deadline; register organisations, obtain PICs, complete Part A and gather annexes well in advance. The call is single-stage (submit final proposal once) and the evaluation is one-step. Use the Portal Online Manual and the IT Helpdesk for technical questions; non-IT questions to EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu or national CERV Contact Point. Applicants must accept the Portal Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement when submitting. Use of AI tools in proposal preparation is permitted but applicants are responsible for content accuracy, must verify citations, avoid disclosing confidential personal data to external AI tools, and declare AI use where relevant.

Application timeline (key dates):Call opening: 07 July 2026. Submission deadline: 03 November 2026 (17:00 CET). Evaluation period: Nov 2026 - May 2027. Information to applicants: May 2027. Grant signature: June - July 2027. For Priority 1 projects duration is fixed at 36 months; for Priorities 2–5 proposed durations must be 12–24 months.

1. 1Application method: prepare Part A online; complete Part B template as PDF and upload; complete KPI tool; upload annexes (Excel detailed budget, CVs, activity reports, child protection policy/declaration where applicable).
2. 2Admissibility checks: completeness of mandatory annexes, page limits, submission before deadline.
3. 3Eligibility checks: legal status, establishment in eligible country, consortium composition rules, public authority involvement for Priority 5.
4. 4Evaluation: external experts and committee, scoring against Relevance, Quality and Impact with thresholds; ranked list established.
5. 5Grant preparation: legal entity validation, financial capacity checks, exclusion checks, possible prefinancing guarantees, signature.

Summary: What this opportunity is about and how to approach it

This funding opportunity is a targeted priority under the CERV Daphne 2026 call aiming to strengthen integrated child protection systems in the EU and to ensure child-centred, coordinated responses to violence against children, contributing to implementation of the Commission Recommendation on integrated child protection systems. It expects projects that achieve systemic change through cross-sectoral cooperation (education, social services, health, justice, law enforcement, local authorities, civil society and children themselves), improved detection and reporting, multidisciplinary support models, prevention tools (including anti-bullying and digital safety), trauma-informed approaches, accountability and monitoring frameworks, and support for national/regional action plans. Projects must include a public authority partner and adhere to strict child protection and ethical requirements. Funding is provided as lump sum grants with specific budget and duration ranges. Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the prescribed templates, and proposals are evaluated on Relevance, Quality and Impact. Applicants should craft a clear needs analysis, present a feasible, measurable workplan with indicators, show strong multi-actor cooperation and public authority engagement, include child safeguarding policies, and plan for sustainability and dissemination to maximise the chance of success.

Direct references:Full call document, application templates and reference documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: Call topic page Call fiche and documentation Child protection policy declaration template Model Grant Agreement and Lump Sum MGA ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and detailed guidance, templates and the submission entry point are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. Consult the Portal Reference Documents for the Lump Sum MGA, Annotated Grant Agreement and Online Manual prior to preparing the application.

Overview and Strategic Context

This opportunity is Priority 5 of the CERV-2026-DAPHNE call under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV), specifically targeting the strengthening of integrated child protection systems (CPS) through cross-sectoral collaboration and child-centred responses to violence against children ¹. The call aims to contribute to the implementation of the Commission Recommendation on integrated CPS adopted in April 2024, which encourages Member States to coordinate ministries and sectors at all levels to prevent and respond to violence ².

Who Should Apply and Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must submit a proposal as a **consortium of at least two beneficiaries** (not affiliated entities or associated partners). The participation of a **public authority** (at municipal, regional, or national level) is **mandatory** within the consortium, either as the lead applicant or a co-applicant ³. Lead applicants must be **non-profit-making** organisations; profit-oriented entities can only participate as partners alongside public or non-profit entities.

Key Eligibility Criteria:Beneficiaries must be legal entities established in EU Member States or CERV-associated countries. Activities must take place in eligible countries. Organisations with activities involving children must provide a **Child Protection Policy** (private bodies) or a **Child Protection Policy Declaration** (public bodies) aligned with Keeping Children Safe Standards ³.

Project Scope and Fundable Activities

Projects must foster systemic change by enhancing multidisciplinary cooperation among public authorities, professionals, and civil society to prevent, detect, and respond to violence against children. Fundable activities include strengthening prevention mechanisms (awareness-raising, training), improving early detection and reporting (child-friendly mechanisms, referral pathways), enhancing multidisciplinary support (integrated hubs, trauma-informed care), and building accountability frameworks (indicators, data collection, national action plans) ³.

Budget, Duration, and Financial Details

The grant is awarded as a **Lump Sum**, meaning beneficiaries do not need to report actual costs but must provide a reliable detailed budget table to justify the lump sum amount. The grant covers 100% of eligible costs, and third parties (if applicable) are not required to provide co-financing ³.

Timeline and Deadlines

1. 1Call Opening: July 7, 2026
2. 2Submission Deadline: November 3, 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time)
3. 3Evaluation Period: November 2026 – May 2027
4. 4Notification of Results: May 2027
5. 5Grant Agreement Signature: June – July 2027

Evaluation Criteria and Award Process

Proposals are evaluated against three criteria:**Relevance** (40 points, minimum threshold 25), **Quality** (40 points), and **Impact** (20 points). The overall pass threshold is **70 points**. Evaluation focuses on the match with call priorities, methodology, ethical safeguards (especially child safeguarding), and the long-term systemic impact on child protection systems ³.

Footnotes

1. 1Commission Recommendation on integrated child protection systems (April 2024) encourages Member States to strengthen coordination of ministries and sectors to prevent violence against children [[fra.europa.eu.
2. 2The 2024 Recommendation calls for national plans to end violence against children, coordination structures, and improved data collection [[fra.europa.eu.
3. 3Official Call Document CERV-2026-DAPHNE (Priority 5) details mandatory public authority involvement, consortium composition, budget limits (€200K–€600K), and duration (12–24 months) [[ec.europa.eu.