Bairns' Hoose - project plan: progress report and pathfinder delivery plan 2023 to 2025

Introduction

The ambition of Bairns' Hoose, which is based on the Icelandic model of Barnahus (child's house), provides Scotland with an opportunity for transformational change for children and young people who are victims or witnesses of harm, as well as children under the age of criminal responsibility whose behaviour has caused significant harm or abuse, to improve their right to justice, ensure they are safe and allow access to recovery support.

Following extensive engagement with stakeholders, we have revised our Vision, Values and Approach setting out how Bairns' Hoose should be developed and implemented in Scotland, the values which should underpin the model and our approach to its practical implementation.

Our Bairns' Hoose Project Plan, published in February 2022, provided the next steps for future work in Scotland to ensure that children who are victims or witnesses to abuse or harm will have access to a Bairns' Hoose to receive the support that they need.

This report highlights the progress made towards developing a national Bairns' Hoose model, sets out revised overarching actions for 2023 to 2025 and provides a detailed delivery plan for the Pathfinder phase.

Strategic context

We are committed to improving Scotland's healthcare, child protection, health and criminal justice systems for children who have experienced trauma. Bringing Barnahus to Scotland has been a long standing, crosscutting policy ambition and is a key action in the Keeping the Promise Implementation Plan, the 'Best Start, Bright Futures: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022 to 2026'; as well as a 2022/23 Programme for Government commitment, which stated that we will "Set out the next steps in ensuring access to 'Bairns' Hoose' services for all children referred for support."

A co-ordinated and collaborative approach across justice, health and children's services, and third sector partners is a pre-requisite for development, implementation and evaluation of the approach. Building on current good practice and improvements, across a wide range of related work-streams in children's services, health and justice, we will work to align Bairns' Hoose with:

• the Revised National Child Protection Guidance 2021;
• the Clinical Pathway for Children and Young People Who May Have Experienced Sexual Abuse 2022;
• the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Act 2019;
• the Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Act 2021; and
• the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019.

We will also ensure that progress aligns with any developments relating to the proposed National Care Service, should children's services be included.

Phased approach

We are introducing a three-phased approach from 2023, beginning with a Pathfinder phase, leading into a Pilot phase followed by national rollout. This approach will allow the learning and evaluation needed to ensure that the Bairns' Hoose model is achieving the correct outcomes ahead of national rollout; and to ensure alignment with other key policy objectives.