September 2024
In our last bulletin in February 2024, we shared with you our journey to becoming a pathfinder site for a Bairns’ Hoose. Bairns’ Hoose is Scotland’s commitment to bringing the Nordic Barnahus model to our suite of approaches aimed at improving children’s lives and to recover from adversity. The model is a child centred and trauma informed transformational, whole-system approach to delivering child protection, justice, health and recovery services. Within our ‘Hoose’ we will bring together services 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 has caused significant harm to others. This approach goes beyond simply being a child friendly location in which to interview children but is also to facilitated stronger relationships between professionals who have differing sets of responsibilities, significantly between the child interview team and the recovery team.
We are proud of our motivated and skilled workforce across the city, who already work tirelessly to identify and protect children from harm. We are not starting from scratch and we plan to build on our strength as we work towards improvements whilst developing our own Bairns’ Hoose in Aberdeen. Our Bairns’ Hoose will be situated on Regent Walk, alongside the Links ELC and is proposed to be ready for opening in July 2025.
Our Bairns' Hoose Delivery Group
Our Bairns’ Hoose Delivery Group (BHDG) is a multi-agency oversight group, preparing and progressing our changes under 5 intrinsically linked work streams, Voice, Systems & Processes, Capital, Governance, and Evaluation. The group meet every month to progress the work required to deliver on our implementation of our Bairns’ Hoose, learning from our children, their families and all professionals working in this area what is currently working well, and where improvements must be made.
Voice
Our Voice workstream is led by Iona Mitchell, Assistant Director for Children 1st. This workstream focus on engagement with children, young people, and families collaborating with them to co-produce important aspects of the design & development of our Bairns’ Hoose.
Systems & Processes
Our Systems & Processes workstream is led by Angela Maitland (CSW Service Manager), Emma Cowieson (CSW Team Manager & SCIM Coordinator) & DI Kerry McCombie (Police Scotland). This workstream focuses on reviewing current processes with a critical eye, identifying how partners can best support children & young people across our child protection processes. They are considering pathways to accessing our Bairns’ Hoose, improving links to wider therapeutic support, creating better alignment with our COPFS, and Scottish Courts & Tribunal Services as well as with SCRA so the distress children currently can experience when giving evidence in court, can be minimised.
Capital
Our Capital workstream is led by Ali McAlpine (CSW Lead Service Manager) and Leonie Smith (Senior Architectural Officer). This workstream leads on the structural design, tendering processes, and oversight of the renovation of our site. The aim here is that the physical space of our Bairns’ Hoose affords the children that it serves to support and protect with an enhanced service which will improve outcomes for all who have experienced abuse.
Governance
Our Governance workstream is led by Graeme Simpson (Chief Social Work Officer). This workstream oversee the risks associated with the planning and implementation of our Bairns’ Hoose, our funding applications to Scottish Government, and our reporting requirements to Scottish Government, Aberdeen City Council Committees, and the Child Protection Committee.
Evaluation
Our Evaluation workstream is led by Dr Mary Mitchell of University of Edinburgh. Aberdeen City are collaborating with the University of Edinburgh to undertake a range of evaluation activity on our implementation of our Bairns’ Hoose up to September 2025. Importantly, this will allow us to learn from those whose views are felt to be most important; our children, their families and the key staff working across services as to what is currently working well and where improvement is needed.
Our Achievements so far
- Children & young people have participated in the recruitment of 2 Advocacy Rights & Recovery Workers.
Developed pathways and documents for children, young people and families.
Undertaken a mapping exercise with 3 families to understand their experiences when they are involved in child protection processes.
Review of our implementation of the SCIM, a cornerstone of Bairns’ Hoose. The learning of this is already shaping various steps in our child protection processes, from the point of initial disclosure, to IRDs, through to allocation of interviewers and to allocation of recovery support.
Developing operational guidance for our Bairns’ Hoose.
Children & young people have visited the site and told us what they think.
- Utilised thematic funding to recruit a Participation Officer for our Bairns’ Hoose.
Our Plans for the Next 3 Months
Begin the renovation of our Bairns’ Hoose,
Develop a set of local data indicators,
Recruit a Coordinator for our SCIM and Bairns’ Hoose,
Confirm our Bairns’ Hoose therapeutic provision with CAMHS,
Co-produce child friendly, and professional resources to ensure consistent understanding of our Bairns’ Hoose,
Review the learning from the mapping exercise undertaken with families,
Theory of Change workshop facilitated by University of Edinburgh.