Charité professor honoured for services to medical child protection
Photo: Governing Mayor Kai Wegner presented Prof. Sibylle Winter with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in his office, which the Federal President awarded her on April 30, 2025. © Landesarchiv Berlin | Grönboldt
Berlin, August 20, 2025
Charité Professor Sibylle Maria Winter received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany today. The award recognizes the Deputy Director of the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy for her commitment to child protection, particularly as the initiator of the Childhood House Berlin. The Order of Merit, awarded by the Federal President, was presented by Governing Mayor Kai Wegner.
“Sibylle Winter has made a significant contribution in recent years to making medical and psychosocial support for traumatized children in Berlin more accessible and anchoring it in the existing structures. It is thanks to her great commitment that Berlin now has highly professional facilities such as the Trauma Outpatient Clinic, the Child Protection Outpatient Clinic, and the Childhood House Berlin,” emphasized Prof. Heyo K. Kroemer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charité. “I warmly congratulate Professor Winter on this outstanding award.”
Focus on Children’s Experiences of Violence
Sibylle Winter came to the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin in 1995 and has established herself as one of Germany’s leading experts in the field of child protection. Since 2020, she has held the newly created professorship for the Consequences of Trauma and Child Protection. Her clinical activities focus on early clinical and forensic diagnostics and trauma-focused treatment of children and adolescents who have experienced violence.
In her research, Prof. Winter examines the long-term consequences of childhood violence, its biological roots, and potential preventative and therapeutic approaches. She also considers familial and intergenerational contexts – for example, the transmission of experiences of violence within families.
Development of care and support services
At the Charité, Sibylle Winter heads, among other things, the Trauma and Child Protection Outpatient Clinic and the Interdisciplinary Child Protection Group. She spearheaded the development of the Childhood House Berlin for young victims of sexual violence. The Childhood House Berlin opened in 2020 and brings together specialists from the fields of health, psychology, youth welfare, the police, and the justice system under one roof. The child’s well-being is paramount.
The goal is to provide the most gentle care possible for children who have experienced sexual violence. Interrogations by the police or the justice system can take place in a protected environment, reducing the psychological stress for those affected. “Children shouldn’t be sent from place to place – the specialists must come to them,” says Prof. Winter, summarizing the idea behind the project.
Donors sought to fund the Childhood House
To make this idea a reality, a new, donation-funded building for the Childhood House is to be built. Substantial donations have already been raised for this, but donations are still needed for the interior furnishings and child care. Currently, there is a significant increase in cases, so staffing levels urgently need to be increased.
“We are close to being able to help children in need even better – but without additional donations, we cannot complete the new Childhood House Berlin as planned. Only with the additional support of new donors can we implement the planned child-friendly care and support in such a way that all professionals can actually reach the child and those affected are spared multiple statements,” emphasizes Sibylle Winter.
Help give children in need protection and security! With your donation, you support the creation of a safe place for affected children. Further information about the Childhood House Berlin and donation options can be found on our website.
Child Protection Facilities at the Charité
The Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin has various facilities dedicated to child protection: the Child Protection Outpatient Clinic, the Childhood House Berlin, the Trauma Outpatient Clinic, and the Child Protection Group.
The Child Protection Outpatient Clinic at the Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum is a specialized medical contact point for the investigation of child endangerment. Its primary task is to assess suspected cases of physical and sexual violence and neglect.
Located adjacent to the Charité’s Child Protection Outpatient Clinic is the Childhood House Berlin, a contact point for young victims of sexual violence who have been reported to the hospital. Here, specialists from the fields of health, psychology, youth welfare, police, and the justice system work together under one roof.
The Trauma Outpatient Clinic offers psychotherapeutic support for children and adolescents who have witnessed or been victims of physical or sexual violence. In addition to these specialized outpatient clinics, the Charité Child Protection Group is available to all colleagues as a forum for discussion, enabling them to reliably identify and respond appropriately to support needs in families, as well as signs of violence and/or neglect of children.
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit is awarded to German and foreign citizens for political, economic, social, and intellectual achievements, as well as for all special services to the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the only general award of merit in Germany and thus the highest recognition the Federal Republic offers for services to the common good. There is no financial contribution associated with the award. The Order of Merit awarded by the Federal President is usually presented by the Minister-Presidents of the federal states, state or federal ministers, district presidents, or mayors.