We were asked by the Scottish Government to work in partnership with Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop standards to introduce the Barnahus concept to Scotland as part of our commitment to improving how the justice system serves children, young people and their families.
Currently, when children and young people give evidence in Scotland, they may tell their story to multiple people from multiple organisations. This can have the effect of re-traumatising the child, making them relive their trauma all over again, to the detriment of their wellbeing. In addition to preventing recovery, telling their story multiple times may reduce a child or young person’s effectiveness as a witness following extensive questioning and reduce the quality of evidence.
The Barnahus standards aim to provide a road map for the development of a Barnahus model in Scotland. Based on the PROMISE2 Barnahus Quality Standards, the joint standards produced by HIS and the Care Inspectorate aim to improve recovery, reduce trauma, and shape service around the needs and rights of children and young people.
Scoping workshop
Fifty participants from across health, social work, justice, police and child protection were invited to attend a workshop at the Raploch Community Centre on Wednesday 19 June 2019.
During the workshop, participants from all sectors fed into the discussion on the scope of the Barnahus standards and provided a recommended ‘direction of travel’.
Following this workshop we have produced a scoping report which outlines the next steps for the development of these standards.
Standards scope
Nine key themes were identified through the discussion: leadership and governance; culture and professional practice; children’s rights; justice and evidence collection; support and advocacy; participation; equalities; staff roles and responsibilities; and service design and environment.
Informed by the themes discussed in the workshop, the following areas will be covered by the Barnahus standards:
- leadership and governance
- inter-agency working and collaboration
- child and family-centred design
- information and supported decision-making
- evidence collection
- staff training, roles and responsibilities, and
- follow-up treatment, support and advocacy.
How to get involved
We welcome any additional comments or suggestions during this phase and any relevant information will be passed to the standards development group or to the co-chairs. Please contact the project team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To nominate a representative for the membership of the standards development group, please contact the project team before August 2019.
To discuss the relevant policy and legislation or the implementation of the Barnahus standards, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..