Issue No 1 - February 2024
What is a Bairns' Hoose?
A Bairns' Hoose, based on the Icelandic model, ‘Barnahus’ (child’s house), bringing together services in a ‘four room’ concept - justice, health, social work and recovery support. The aim is to deliver integrated support to best meet the needs of children and young people who are victims of abuse or have witnessed violence as well as children under the age of criminal responsibility whose behaviour (currently 12 years of age) has caused significant harm to others. A key aim of the model is to reduce the number of times children have to recount their experiences.
Why have a Bairns' Hoose?
The Scottish Government’s vision is that by 2026:
“All children in Scotland who have been victims or witnesses to abuse or violence, as well as children under the age of criminal responsibility whose behaviour has caused significant harm or abuse will have access, within one setting, to trauma-informed recovery, support and justice.”
The Partnership will, as part of its planning, give further consideration to what this vision looks like in Aberdeen City.
How are we, as a Partnership, planning to deliver a Bairns' Hoose?
In Autumn 2022 Aberdeen City’s Public Protection Chief Officers Group unanimously committed to delivering an Aberdeen City Bairns' Hoose on a collaborative basis. To enable this, the partnership applied to become a Scottish Government Bairns' Hoose Pathfinder in Autumn 2023. In November 2023 the partnership was notified it was one of 6 partnerships that had been successful in their Pathfinder application.
Being a Pathfinder enables partnerships to bid for some limited Scottish Government funding to support the redevelopment of a building to enable it to fulfil the functions of a Bairns' Hoose but also to recognise that there are aspects to the support and intervention
delivered by a Bairns' Hoose which are not currently funded for. The Pathfinder phase will run up to 31/3/25, although consideration is being given to extending this timeline.
The building we have identified as our Bairns' Hoose is part of the Links Centre ELC provision on Regent Walk. This site offers flexibility in terms of the physical space required for a Bairns' Hoose as well as good transport links. Colleagues from across the partnership have been
actively engaging with the Council’s architects team to agree how the space can be reconfigured to allow it to fulfil the expectations of the Bairns' Hoose Standards. Approval for the funding of this design will be integral to the Council Budget process in March 2024.
Central to delivery of a Bairns' Hoose is the Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM). The SCIM model went live in Aberdeen City in November 2022. Once building works have been completed the Aberdeen City SCIM trained staff (Police and Social Work) will relocate to the Bairns
Hoose. We anticipate this will be in early 2025.
Building on our existing partnership and alignment with the Fit Like Service, Children 1st will work to develop a trauma recovery service. Children’s Rights and advocacy will be central to this role. This activity will build on the ongoing efforts to capture the voice and views of children, young people and families going through child protection processes. Their voices have directly influenced the planning for the design of the proposed Bairns' Hoose. Building on this we see this continuing throughout the development.
How will we know we are making a difference?
An early Pathfinder activity is to undertake a self-assessment of our current practice against the Bairns' Hoose Standards. This will be repeated at different stages of the Pathfinder phase. In addition we have partnered with the University of Edinburgh (U of E) to evaluate our delivery of our Bairns' Hoose. This will build on the work the U of E have undertaken with the North Strathclyde partnership who recently opened their ‘Bairns' Hoose’ in partnership with Children 1st.
Engagement
This is the first Bairns' Hoose Bulletin. Should you have any questions about the planning for Aberdeen’s Bairns' Hoose please email AmyAnderson@aberdeencity.gov.uk.
