During 2021, the Network played a key consultative role for a number of countries on their journeys to establishing or expanding their Barnahus, and engaged with international actors to spread a common understanding of the model and to unlock opportunities for collaboration and funding.
Members agreed on the need for exchange, research, and guidance on scaling up Barnahus nationally. In particular: information about how many locations and of which size are needed to service a population, ensuring quality services nation wide, and ensuring equitable services for remote, small, or marginalized communities.
The Slovenian Barnahus law is now available in English. The articles of this comprehensive law cover, for example: the principles of comprehensive treatment; personal data, databases and storage, and more …
[et_pb_sec...
A goldmine of resources tucked into a 200+ page interactive PDF, a guidance supporting the journey to establish Barnahus, and a webinar launching these resources.
The agenda of an informal meeting of EU Justice Ministers included a point on child-friendly justice, noted the progress to implement Barnahus in Europe, and gathered further commitment to implementation.
The ECtHR significant flaws in the Estonian procedure, as it did not sufficiently take into account the child’s particular vulnerability so as to afford her effective protection.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
Work is underway to improve the Bulgarian National Coordination Mechanism for cases of child victims or at risk of violence and crises intervention. A working group, including PROMISE partner SAPI, has examined the gaps and put forth suggestions. Such changes include making it mandatory to have local coordination agreements in place, and to include specialised services such as the ‘Zona ZaKrila’ in these agreements and also the meetings of the National Coordination Mechanism.
On 22 May 2018 a meeting on Multi-disciplinary and Interagency approach for work with children victims of violence – opportunities and challenges was organised in Sofia, Bulgaria. PROMISE experts Ólöf Ásta Farestveit and Þorbjörg Sveinsdóttir from Barnahus Iceland presented the Barnahus model and PROMISE Barnahus Quality Standards. 80 representatives from respective ministries, municipalities, Ombudsperson, regional prosecutors and judges, as well as child protection institutions took part.
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
Watch this video, with English subtitles, to learn about The Child Centre for Advocacy and Support ” Zone Protection ” in Bulgaria.
During 2021, the Network played a key consultative role for a number of countries on their journeys to establishing or expanding their Barnahus, and engaged with international actors to spread a common understanding of the model and to unlock opportunities for collaboration and funding.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
Gordana, one of our key resources in the PROMISE Project and the European Barnahus Movement has through her vision, expertise and generous contributions played a key role in placing child protection and multidisciplinary interventions for child victims of violence on the map, not only in Croatia, but across Europe.
Watch this video from the Child Protection Hub to learn how the Zagreb Child Protection Centre works.
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
On 5-6 December 2018, Hope for Children organised a training featuring Helena Asplund Carlqvist, Psychologist and Anna Nelson, Psychotherapist and Coordinator of Barnahus Linköping, Sweden. The main content of the training was on therapy models that are helpful for psychologists and social workers since they contain specific protocols and actions to be taken in cases of child abuse. The training was framed around the Barnahus Quality Standards and the need for a child-friendly justice system.
The aim of the training was to analyse and shape the optimal forensic medical examination and child protection medical examination for the Cypriot context. It also aimed to train professionals to get the information they need during this process yet to make the forensic examination an OK experience for the child and the family.
On 13 September 2018, a workshop was organised on the topic of judicial procedures for child-friendly justice. 36 participants attended the workshop representing the Children’s House, Cyprus Police, Social Welfare Services, General Attorney, Supreme Court and “Hope For Children” CRC Policy Center.
On 4 July 2018, the Hope for Children CRC Policy Centre organised a national roundtable discussion for professionals working with children involved in sexual abuse and exploitation. The aim was to raise awareness about the Children’s House in Cyprus and to develop a common approach. Participants discussed the benefits and challenges of multidisciplinary and interagency cooperation, and also true and false allegations of child abuse.
The PROMISE 2 partnership is proud to announce the work to promote progress in establishing and operating Barnahus, or similar models, at national level in several European countries has begun. We met in Stockholm in January 2018 to plan the core tasks:
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
A goldmine of resources tucked into a 200+ page interactive PDF, a guidance supporting the journey to establish Barnahus, and a webinar launching these resources.
The Lighthouse in London, England informs about two new methods for interviewing children for the purposes of cross-examination at their Barnahus.
Where we highlight media mentions about Barnahus and similar setups around the world. Finland: Their Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan now available in English. This action plan was first presented at the Finnish EU Presidency conference held in Helsinki in...
Announcing the newest members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network – 2020
The Lighthouse is a service for children and young people in North London who have experienced any form of child sexual abuse, including exploitation. At The Lighthouse we put the child at the centre, to make sure they have a safe place to recover at their own pace and rebuild their lives. Medical, advocacy, social care, police, and therapeutic support are delivered in one location, providing a coordinated approach to supporting children and young people. We want children, young people and their families to receive the justice, support and therapy they need, in a timely manner, to move forward in their recovery from abuse.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
In this podcast episode the host is joined by two members of the Lighthouse team: Emma Harewood, Service Manager and Dr Deborah Hodes, Community Paediatrician and Health Lead, along with Jon Brown, Head of Development and Impact at the NSPCC.
The ECtHR significant flaws in the Estonian procedure, as it did not sufficiently take into account the child’s particular vulnerability so as to afford her effective protection.
A third location of Barnahus in Estonia has been opened in Jõhvis. The inauguration was attended by Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, and Tanel Kiik, Minister of Social Affairs. With the country having Barnahus in the North, South and East, one more location is proposed in the West. Find out more in the press release and in the media.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
Estonian efforts to spread awareness about the value and importance of the Barnahus is paying off, as key officials express their commitment:
A 2-day medical evaluation training was held in Tallinn, Estonia on 8-9 October 2018. The topics covered by the training included: treatment at the general practitioner’s office, evaluating health and injuries, why the medical evaluation is necessary – notably for children who visit a Barnahus, and how to cooperate with parents.
The PROMISE partnership extends its warmest congratulations to the recent and upcoming openings of new Barnahus and similar setups:
Barnahus Tartu, Estonia opened on 26 September. This is the second service in Estonia, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
Childhood Haus Leipzig, Germany opened on 27 September. This is the first service to launch in Germany, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
The PROMISE 2 partnership is proud to announce the work to promote progress in establishing and operating Barnahus, or similar models, at national level in several European countries has begun. We met in Stockholm in January 2018 to plan the core tasks:
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
Before services can launch, national commitment must blossom. Here we celebrate a few milestones that PROMISE pilot countries accomplished during 2016:
Where we highlight media mentions about Barnahus and similar setups around the world. Finland: Their Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan now available in English. This action plan was first presented at the Finnish EU Presidency conference held in Helsinki in...
The Hub will be based on an existing tool in use by 8 Barnahus in Sweden. It will automatically collect de-personalised, comparable European data on violence against children and track performance. Tracking daily events in each case will provide a useful case management tool, and key information collected by integrating the child consultation module may be used to influence policy, law and practice. It will include a child participation module to measure the experience of children and their caretakers who visit the Barnahus. Moreover, it will automatically track performance at each Barnahus, nationally and internationally, on meeting the PROMISE Barnahus Quality Standards. Long term, such a system could become the basis for an accreditation system for Barnahus in Europe.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
Barnahus Tartu, Estonia opened on 26 September. This is the second service in Estonia, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
Childhood Haus Leipzig, Germany opened on 27 September. This is the first service to launch in Germany, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
A training on the Barnahus Quality Standards was organised in Helsinki, Finland on 21 June 2018.
We recommend reading this book, free to download at this link, which was published 2017 by Palgrave Macmillan and edited by Susanna Johansson, Kari Stefansen, Elisiv Bakketeig, and Anna Kaldal. "This edited collection explores the background and implementation of the...
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
Where we highlight media mentions about Barnahus and similar setups around the world. Finland: Their Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan now available in English. This action plan was first presented at the Finnish EU Presidency conference held in Helsinki in...
Warmest congratulations to the newest service to open, Childhood-haus Berlin. Many impressive speakers joined the online inauguration. The work to open Childhood-hauses throughout Germany is led by the World Childhood Foundation Germany, a PROMISE Barnahus Network member.
Presenting a summary of media mentions of Barnahus from the past few months: The draft law on Barnahus for the Republic of Slovenia was put to public consultation in summer 2020, and is available in English. See this press release for good background to the bill. The draft law was prepared with the help of the Joint EU Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) – Council of Europe project, on supporting the implementation of Barnahus in Slovenia – Phase II (2019-2021). Find out more.
Announcing the newest members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network – 2020
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The PROMISE partnership extends its warmest congratulations to the recent and upcoming openings of new Barnahus and similar setups:
Barnahus Tartu, Estonia opened on 26 September. This is the second service in Estonia, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
Childhood Haus Leipzig, Germany opened on 27 September. This is the first service to launch in Germany, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
A summary of a promising practice for national efforts to establish Barnahus.
The first Barnahus in Spain has been inaugurated in Tarragona (Catalonia). This project is led by the Child Protection Agency of Catalonia, member of PROMISE Barnahus Network. The Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Families, Chakir El Homrani, and the Minister of Education, Josep Bargalló, attended the inauguration. The unit is currently located in a temporary location and the intention is to install it permanently in a newly built space in the same Educational Complex of Tarragona. The work has been strongly supported by Save the Children Spain, PROMISE Barnahus Network member. Find out more here and here.
Announcing the newest members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network – 2020
Save the Children Catalonia, which has been advocating for this move, recently held a conference of 150 participants advocating for the implementation of the Barnahus as the answer to the as-of-yet unimplemented regional law requiring a multidisciplinary interagency approach to child victims of sexual violence.
The Hub will be based on an existing tool in use by 8 Barnahus in Sweden. It will automatically collect de-personalised, comparable European data on violence against children and track performance. Tracking daily events in each case will provide a useful case management tool, and key information collected by integrating the child consultation module may be used to influence policy, law and practice. It will include a child participation module to measure the experience of children and their caretakers who visit the Barnahus. Moreover, it will automatically track performance at each Barnahus, nationally and internationally, on meeting the PROMISE Barnahus Quality Standards. Long term, such a system could become the basis for an accreditation system for Barnahus in Europe.
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
The official launch of Barnahus, Onehouse Galway took place 16 September 2019. The Barnahus, Onehouse Galway pilot project is a collaboration between the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Minister for Health and the Minister for Justice and Equality, Tusla – Child and Family Agency, The Health Service Executive and An Garda Siochana.
The ‘One House’ model, which will be rolled out in early 2019, was announced by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Dr Katherine Zappone, Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan and Minister for Health Simon Harris today.
The PROMISE 2 partnership is proud to announce the work to promote progress in establishing and operating Barnahus, or similar models, at national level in several European countries has begun. We met in Stockholm in January 2018 to plan the core tasks:
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
The agenda of an informal meeting of EU Justice Ministers included a point on child-friendly justice, noted the progress to implement Barnahus in Europe, and gathered further commitment to implementation.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
Where we highlight media mentions about Barnahus and similar setups around the world. Finland: Their Non-Violent Childhoods Action Plan now available in English. This action plan was first presented at the Finnish EU Presidency conference held in Helsinki in...
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The Barnahus model was piloted in Riga, Latvia at Center Dardedze for six months during 2017 on the basis of the Barnahus Quality Standards. This pilot had a focus on the criminal investigation phase. The evaluation of the pilot highlighted that a number of things should be established: agreements among the parties, a monitoring committee, and Barnahus statutes (regulations). On 5 June 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers decided that the Ministry of Welfare should set up the Barnahus Monitoring Committee, and that this committee should develop Barnahus statutes.
On 7-9 November 2018, Margrét Kristín Magnúsdóttir and Paola Cardenas from Barnahus Iceland trained Latvian participants on forensic interviews of children in cases of sexual abuse.
On 3 October 2018 social services practitioners met to discuss the possible structure of recommendations for a procedure for cases when criminal proceedings are not initiated. Key experts will draft the recommendations, which are developed as part of PROMISE 2 and will be implemented in Riga region in Center Dardedze as part of the BADEV project. It is hoped the recommendations could be finished in February 2019 and therefore implementation could start in March 2019.
On 19 March 2018 policymakers and practitioners met in Latvia for a roundtable discussion on experiences and challenges in protecting with children who are victims of sexual abuse, as well as to discuss PROMISE 2 and its activities. Representatives from Social services of Riga, Ministry of Welfare, Ombudsman office, Department of Social Welfare of Riga city council, Riga Custody court participated in the meeting.
During 2021, the Network played a key consultative role for a number of countries on their journeys to establishing or expanding their Barnahus, and engaged with international actors to spread a common understanding of the model and to unlock opportunities for collaboration and funding.
The agenda of an informal meeting of EU Justice Ministers included a point on child-friendly justice, noted the progress to implement Barnahus in Europe, and gathered further commitment to implementation.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The Centre is unique among the European Barnahus and similar setups, in that it has 10 places for children and their carers to stay overnight if needed. The average stay is about 3 days, sometimes longer.
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
The first Barnahus in Moldova will be established during 2019 with the support of World…
The Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat, the lead partner of PROMISE, recently hosted a delegation from Moldova to discuss best practices and common challenges. Moldova is in the feasibility study stage. The National Center for Child Abuse Prevention has the support for establishing specialized services for child victims of violence from the World Childhood Foundation, the OAK Foundation and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Moldova.
Moldova is in the feasibility study stage, with the support of organisations such as the National Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, the Council of Europe, UNICEF, and the World Childhood Foundation.
On 22 February 2018, the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention (NCCAP), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection and the Ministry of Justice, and due to the support of the World Childhood Foundation and the Council of Europe (CoE), organized the workshop “Multiagency response to violence against children through a friendly service for children victims based on Barnahus Model”.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
The founding members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network have made a notable impact on the spread of Barnahus throughout Europe and are committed to promoting this model of multi-disciplinary and interagency interventions for child victims and witnesses of violence.
The Polish Barnahus form a network coordinated by the Empowering Children Foundation. Two Barnahus are operated by the Empowering Children Foundation (Warsaw and Starogard, Gdanski) and two others are opreated by local NGO’s. Each Barnahus is supported by the Velux Foundation and local authorities, has funding secured for several years, and is committed to meeting the Barnahus Quality Standards.
The PROMISE partnership extends its warmest congratulations to the recent and upcoming openings of new Barnahus and similar setups:
The event discussed opportunities and challenges for multidisciplinary interagency cooperation. After the seminar, the participant took a guided tour of the newly opened Barnahus Warsaw.
On April 9th 2018, The Empowering Children Foundation launched a new Barnahus in Warsaw. The event introduced sponsors and local authorities to the services and the beautiful, spacious premises. The goal for Barnahus Warsaw is to provide interdisciplinary support to 300 children victims of sexual abuse and violence and their families every year.
The PROMISE 2 partnership is proud to announce the work to promote progress in establishing and operating Barnahus, or similar models, at national level in several European countries has begun. We met in Stockholm in January 2018 to plan the core tasks:
The agenda of an informal meeting of EU Justice Ministers included a point on child-friendly justice, noted the progress to implement Barnahus in Europe, and gathered further commitment to implementation.
Following the October 2018 national roundtable, Save the Children Romania started to meet monthly with the Bucharest Tribunal. Together they are actively working on revising the legal framework around hearing the child in court, in line with the Barnahus Quality Standards.
Apart from sharing experience and building competencies, the roundtable supported the establishment of a partnership between Save the Children Romania and the Bucharest Tribunal, with the aim to further revise the legal framework around child hearings in court in line with the Barnahus Quality Standards.
The PROMISE 2 partnership is proud to announce the work to promote progress in establishing and operating Barnahus, or similar models, at national level in several European countries has begun. We met in Stockholm in January 2018 to plan the core tasks:
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
Announcing the newest members of the PROMISE Barnahus Network – 2020
Children should not have to give evidence in court. The Scottish Government has committed to exploring the application of Barnahus through both its Programme for Government 2018-19 and the Equally Safe delivery plan – a Scottish and Local Government-led strategy which seeks to eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls.
Barnahus Tartu, Estonia opened on 26 September. This is the second service in Estonia, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
Childhood Haus Leipzig, Germany opened on 27 September. This is the first service to launch in Germany, which was a pilot country in PROMISE 1 and a partner in PROMISE 2.
In 2015, thirteen countries joined the PROMISE vision to promote child-friendly, multi-disciplinary and interagency services supporting child victims and witnesses of violence. The efforts to consolidate support for Barnahus or comparable models in these countries has been brewing for some time – often years.
During this period, the Network has been building partnerships and applying for funding, and a number of notable developments across the region have been announced.
The Committee’s recommendations to Hungary included, among others, urged the State party to “Adopt the legal measures necessary to support the implementation of the Barnahus programme; and ensure that child victims of violence have effective access to the investigation and therapy services based on the Barnahus model, and that these services are by default available to all child victims of violence.” This recommendation was made with reference to general comment No. 13 (2011) on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence and taking note of target 16.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In conjunction with the launch of the PROMISE Barnahus Network, we also unveiled an exhibition – both in-person and online – about support for Barnahus and Network. The exhibition featured the voices of officials, professionals and – most importantly – children!
On 1st January 2019, the Barnahus Act came into force in Hungary. It establishes public funding for the operation of the Barnahus – as well as official and police and judicial requests. The bill was endorsed by the annual social occupational conference in October 2018, discussed in the Parliament November 2018, and voted on 6 December 2018.
Maria Gorosh, Swedish police, and Alda Hronn Johansdottir, a prosecutor from Iceland, held a one-hour lecture on simultaneous interpretation and shared further expertise. Videos were also shown introducing the Barnahus in Iceland and Linköping, Sweden.
In 2018, Hungary introduced the Goodwill Ambassador of the Barnahus to the public. Ms Tímea Nagy is a two-time Olympic champion and a beloved former Hungarian athlete. As the Barnahus Goodwill Ambassador, Ms Nagy is the face of Barnahus and will work to raise awareness about cases of sexually abused.
On 6 June 2018, Hungarian professionals met to discuss how the application of the Barnahus model in Hungary can be integrated with the justice system. PROMISE experts Margret Rögnvalsdottir, an Icelandic prosecutor, Hjörtur Adalsteinsson, an Icelandic judge, were on hand to share the Icelandic experience and principles. Rebecca O’Donnell, child rights specialist from Child Circle, further supported the discussions.
On 10 May 2018 a workshop for more than 35 prosecutors from different counties in Hungary was organised regarding legislation related to Barnahus. PROMISE expert Margrét Unnur Rögnvaldsdóttir, a prosecutor from Iceland, was on hand to share the Icelandic experience. At the workshop, results from the pilot project in Szombathely were presented, including that the investigative and judicial phases have been shortened in 4 cases of child abuse. As a result of the workshop, legislative amendments needed for full implementation of the Barnahus model will be developed. The workshop was organised back-to-back with an international child protection conference.