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.