Barnahus Quality Standards Guidance for Multidisciplinary and Interagency Response to Child Victims and Witnesses of Violence The PROMISE Project series Ólöf Ásta Farestveit, Barnahus Reykjavik Pilot Country Exchange www.childrenatrisk.eu/promise Anna Frank-Viron, Children’s House, Childrens Bulgaria: Social Activities and Practices Institute Protection Department, Social Insurance Board (SAPI) Publisher Turid Heiberg, Council of the Baltic Sea States Cyprus: Hope for Children CRC Policy Center and Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat Secretariat Ministry for Social Services and Child Circle Peter van der Linden, Verwey-Jonker Institute England: NHS England Anna Nelsson, Barnahus Linköping Estonia: Child Protection Unit, Estonian Social ISBN 978-91-980572-9-4 Rebecca O’Donnell, Child Circle Insurance Board and Department of Children and Anna M Pettersson, Barnahus Linköping Families, Ministry of Social Affairs Author Ana Marija Spanic, Centre for Child and Youth Germany: ChildHood Germany Olivia Lind Haldorsson, Child Circle Protection, Zagreb Hungary: Barnahus Szombatehly, ESZTER Foundation Andrea Wagner Thomsen, Centre for Children, Youth and Hungarian Church Aid Foreword and key contributions and Families, National Board for Social Services Ireland: Irish Police Force and TUSLA Bragi Guðbrandsson, The Government Agency for Latvia: Association Center Dardedze and Children Child Protection, Iceland Pilot contributions and Family Policy Department, Ministry of Welfare Michael van Aswegen, TUSLA Ireland Lithuania: Children Division, Family and Expert Group Dainora Bernackiene, Children Division, Family Communities Department, Ministry of Social Security Gordana Buljan Flander, Centre for Child and Youth and Communities Department, Ministry of Social and Labour and State Social Home, „Užuovėja“ Protection, Zagreb Security and Labour, Lithuania Luxemburg: Ministry of Education, Children and Åsa Landberg, Psychologist and Psychotherapist Andreea Bijii, Save the Children Romania Youth Resmiye Oral, Child Protection Program, University of Laura Ceļmale, Association Center Dardedze, Latvia Malta: FSWS-Appogg, Child Protection Services Iowa Adina Mihaela Codres, Ministry of Labour, Family, Poland: Empowering Children Foundation Carl Göran Svedin, Barnafrid – Nationellt Social Protection and Elderly, National Authority Romania: Ministry of Labour, Family, Social kunskapscentrum, Linköping University for the Protection Children Rights and Adoption, Protection and Elderly, National Authority for the Romania Protection of Children Rights and Adoption and Save Review on law and guidance ESZTER Foundation, Hungary the Children Romania Rebecca O’Donnell, Child Circle Maria Keller-Hamela, Empowering Children Scotland: Children First Scotland and Scottish Foundation, Poland Courts and Tribunal Service Review and Good Practice Vasiliki Kourri, Hope for Children CRC Policy Center, Janet van Bavel, Children and Youth Trauma Centre, Cyprus Editors Haarlem Ann Lind-Liiberg, Department of Children and Rebecca O’Donnell and Daja Wenke Tea Brezinscak, Centre for Child and Youth Protection, Families, Ministry of Social Affairs Zagreb Viola Läänerand, Child Protection Unit, Estonian Lay-out and Design Britta Bäumer, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Social Insurance Board, Estonia Laura Klimaite Trauma Unit, Barnahus Stockholm Andrea Moehringer, ChildHood Germany Ylva Edling, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Trauma Lauris Neikens, Children and Family Policy Unit, Barnahus Stockholm Department, Ministry of Welfare, Latvia Beata Wojtkowska, Empowering Children Foundation Content Foreword 5 Standard 2. Multidisciplinary and Interagency collaboration I. Introduction 8 in the Barnahus 44 Regulating the establishment and use of Barnahus II. The Barnahus Model 11 in the Nordic countries 46 Three Nordic Barnahus – Three Different Models 15 A formal framework for multidisciplinary and Two Child-friendly Centres – Two different models 18 interagency collaboration - Barnahus Linköping 47 Outline of the Barnahus Linköping III. The European Barnahus Standards 21 Interagency Agreement 48 Applying the standards from initial report to trial 21 Cost sharing at Barnahus Linköping – extracts Key to the reading the Standard Profiles 28 from the Interagency Agreement 49 Regulating the operation of Barnahus in Danish Law 49 Standard 1. Safeguarding Children Policy – Child and Youth Key principles and cross-cutting activities 30 Protection Centre, Zagreb 50 1.1 Best interests of the child 30 Placing the best interests of the child at the centre - Standard 3. Barnahus Linköping 32 Inclusive Target Group 54 Examples of tools to ensure consistent and systematic An inclusive target group - Barnahus Iceland 55 consideration of the best interests of the child 32 Defining Target Group in the National Guidelines A framework for assessing and determining the for Barnahus in Sweden 56 best interests of the child 33 Standard 4. 1.2. Right to be heard and receive information 34 Child Friendly Environment 57 Children´s feedback on their experience at the service – Providing a child-friendly environment - Barnahus Linköping 36 Barnahus Iceland and Barnahus Linköping 59 Regulating the involvement of children in Child Protection Assessments in Danish Law 36 Standard 5. Consultation with children and parents, Barnahus Tallinn 37 Interagency case management 66 Interagency Planning and Case Review - 1.3 Avoiding Undue Delay 38 Barnahus Stockholm 68 Avoiding Undue Delay - Barnahus Linköping 39 Standing Agenda for Interagency Meeting Goals and Maximum Time Limits - Barnahus Iceland 40 at Stockholm Barnahus 69 Denmark: Law and guidelines to prevent undue delay Case example from Barnahus Stockholm 70 of child protection assessment and forensic interview 41 Roles and Functions of the respective agencies in the interagency meeting – Barnahus Linköping 70 Regulating 71 Content Ensuring information exchange in the best interests Standard 9. of the child - Child and Youth Trauma Centre, Haarlem 71 Capacity Building 102 The Child and Youth Trauma Centre Privacy Protocol 72 Building capacity - Barnahus Linköping 103 Capacity and professional competence building: Standard 6. Education and supervision - Child and Youth Protection Forensic Interview 76 Centre, Zagreb 103 A child friendly approach to securing evidence and respecting due process - Barnahus Iceland 79 Standard 10. Promoting forensic interviews in child-friendly Prevention: Information sharing, awareness premises by trained professionals - Child and raising and external competence building 106 Youth Protection Centre, Zagreb 82 Media as a partner to prevent and respond to violence Forensic interviews with children with special needs – against children - Child and Youth Protection Centre, Zagreb 107 Barnahus Linköping 84 Outreach and external competence building - Forensic Interviews - Barnahus Stockholm 85 Barnahus Linköping 108 External competence building activities - Child and Standard 7. Youth Protection Centre, Zagreb 109 Medical Examination 88 Medical evaluation and treatment – IV. Linking provisions, legal obligations and the Child and Youth Trauma Centre, Haarlem 89 European Barnahus Standards - Overview 111 Medical examination and Treatment - Barnahus Linköping 90 Annex 1. DIRECTIVE 2012/29/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 25 October 2012 Standard 8. establishing minimum standards on the rights, Therapeutic Services 92 support and protection of victims of crime, and Victim Support – Barnahus Iceland 94 replacing Council Framework Decision 2001/220/ JHA Providing short term and long term support to (‘Victim Rights Directive’) 119 child victims of abuse - Child and Youth Protection Centre, Zagreb 96 Annex 2. DIRECTIVE 2011/93/EU OF THE EUROPEAN Case Example from the Child and Youth Protection PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL 13 December 2011 on Centre, Zagreb 98 combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of Combined Parent Child Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, children and child pornography (‘Child Sexual Abuse Barnahus Linköping 99 Directive’) 149 Annex 3. Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (‘Lanzarote Convention’) 161 Page 5 Foreword The European Barnahus Standards represent the first attempt which offers comprehensive services for the child and family in Europe to define the principles of the interventions and ser- under one roof. The core of the Barnahus model is the assump- vices referred to as the “Barnahus” model. The name Barnahus tion that the child´s disclosure is key both to identify and inves- (“a house for children”) originates from Iceland where the first tigate child abuse for criminal and for protective and therapeu- Barnahus was founded in 1998. Since then, many more Barna- tic purposes. hus have been set up, mainly in the Nordic countries. Although the term “Barnahus” has a quite distinct meaning, the The almost universal ratification of the United Nations Conven- Barnahus’ paths of coming into being and their organisation- tion on the rights of the child (UNCRC) has contributed to an al form differ between countries, and sometimes even within emerging convergence of child welfare policies and practices in countries. There are variations between target groups, the juxta- Europe, fuelled by enhanced collaboration and joint efforts of position of roles and responsibilities as well as the framework many different actors including governmental and non-govern- for collaboration between partners in implementing the core