ISO/IWA 49 Guidelines for Barnahus, a child friendly multidisciplinary and interagency response model for abused children
Barnahus (e. Childrens House) model is a child-friendly multidisciplinary and interagency response model for the investigation and treatment of child abuse. It provides a wholistic framework to ensure child-friendly and safe environment for children where relevant services are brought together under one roof for the purposes of providing the child a coordinated and effective response and for preventing re-traumatization during investigation and court proceedings.
Even though the Barnahus model has mostly been implemented and gained recognition in Europe, the model is flexible and can be adapted to different national contexts. Still, in order to practice as a Barnahus, there are foundational criterias and guidelines that should guide the setup and practice in all countries.
The Workshop gives the opportunity to adapt the model to different circumstances. Participation of experts from all over the world is therefore vital for providing local expertise to find ways for the model to work in different circumstances.
A draft version of the IWA will be sent to registered participants.
International Workshop Agreement provide the opportunity to ensure the broadest range of relevant interested parties. IWA´s are approved by consensus amongst the individual participants in the workshop. The IWA Process can be found here >
Workshop procedure and timeframe
May 2024 Registration opens
June 20th Introduction webinar
August 25th Registration to the sessions closes.
September 5th Digital workshop introduction –agreement on title, scope, general outline and basic content of the document. Presentation on working mode and ways of commenting.
September - Mid Updated draft to be circulated for commenting
October 23-24th Physical Workshop, face to face meeting in Reykjavik Iceland. Discuss comments provided, update draft. On-site study trip to the Icelandic Barnahus.
October 25th optional on-site study trip to the Icelandic Barnahus.
December 10th Digital meeting, review and approval of the final document.
February, 2025 Estimated publishing date for the ISO IWA.
(If the workshop participants decides that additional meetings are necessary, that can be organized.)
Please note that registration to the workshop on Oct 23-24 must be done before August 25, working documents, detailed agendas and links to the digital meetings (Sept 5 and Dec 10) will then be provided to registered participants.
Background
Every year, at least 1 billion children experience physical, psychological and sexual violence, as well as neglect, exploitation, sale, trafficking and harmful practices. That is half of the world´s children and no country and no child is immune. „The impact of violence is devastating, immediate and lifelong. Violence against children impairs their brain development, their physical and mental health and their ability to learn. […] There is an urgent need for more action to prevent and respond to the threat posed by violence to children’s mental health.“ (violenceagainstchildren.un.org)
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has recommended State parties to set up child-friendly and intersectoral/multiagency structures to address violence and/or sexual abuse of children. The Committee has made several references to the Barnahus model in its reccommendations to State Parties. (Barnahus: a European journey. Mapping study on multidisciplinary and interagency child-friendly justice models responding to violence against children in Council of Europe member states. Council of Europe 2023.)
The Council of Europe, through its Committee of the Parties of the Convention on the Protection of Children from Child Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention and Committee) recognizes the Barnahus model as a promising practice and has supported several of its member States in setting up tailor made Barnahus through dedicated cooperation projects, funded by the European Commission DG Reform.
Barnahus (e. Childrens House) model is a child-friendly multidisciplinary and interagency (MDIA) response model for the investigation and treatment of child abuse. It provides a wholistic framework to ensure child-friendly and safe environment for children where relevant services are brought together under one roof for the purposes of providing the child a coordinated and effective response and for preventing er-traumatization during investigation and court proceedings.
The model offers trauma-focused psychological interventions to children and their parent/caregivers following the investigation phase. Professionals from different disciplines collaborate in the areas of child-protection, criminal justice, physical and mental well-being with the central goal of coordinating the parallel criminal and child welfare investigations and treatment of child abuse. Trauma-focused, evidence-based psychological treatment and short- and long-term therapeutic services for the child and non-offending family members and caretakers are made available.
Forensic interviews are carried out in accordance to an evidence based protocol by an interviewer who is specially educated in children´s development. The aim is preventing the child from having to repeat its statement during court proceedings if an indictment is made.
The model can be formally embedded in a national or local structure that consists of judical system, child protection services and health care.
What to expect in Reykjavik, Iceland in late October
Reykjavík is the northernmost city in the world and has around 250.000 inhabitants. That counts for approximately 64% of the whole population of Iceland. 16% of the inhabitants are foreign citizens and the most common in Reykjavík are from Polland, Lithuania and Latvia. Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians.
Climate: Because of the location, the climate is fairly cold. The average temperature in October lies between 2.7°C and 7.5°C ( 36.9 – 45.5 F) It gets windy and it can even snow in October. Reykjavík only sees approximately 93 sunshine hours in October with a 31% chance of sunshine. October often brings bright, calm and crisp days but also dark, windy and rainy days. We recommend warm clothing, and layers, including sweaters, coats, hats, mittens and a scarf. You probably will need it.
Iceland is one of the smallest linguistic areas in the world with one of the smallest currencies as well, the Icelandic króna. Currency converter can be found here.
The International Airport is located in Keflavik on the Reykjanes peninsula. It takes 45 minutes to drive to Reykjavik by car. Transportation to and from the airport is by ground only, that is either the Flybus that takes you to Reykjavík in 50-60 minutes (and most of them take you straight to the hotel), or by a taxi that takes 40-45 minutes. Iceland has no trains. Yet.
And yes. The Volcanos. Iceland is one of the most active volcanic regions on the planet with 32 active Volcanos. That does not put our visitors in any danger. In 2021 an activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula
started to surface and since then we have faced a few eruptions. The current activity (April 2024) is under the Blue lagoon and surroundings. That has not put any of our hundreds of thousands of visitors this year in any danger. The area is closely watched. Thanks to Standards that is possible. The activity is also close to the International Airport but no indications are of an activity that might affect flight in the near future.
ISO invitation to the workshop including the draft proposal
