Welcome to the March 2025 edition of the Bairns’ Hoose newsletter!
In this issue, we shall be covering:
- January 2025 meeting of the National Bairns’ Hoose Implementation Group (NBHIG)
- April 2025 collaborative learning event in Perth
- Analysis: New resources to support Bairns’ Hoose implementation
- Analysis: Release of the StART 1 report to partnerships
- NBHIG working groups update
- Funding update
- Knowledge Exchange update
- Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework now available
- North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose releases accessible learning summary
January 2025 meeting of the National Bairns’ Hoose Implementation Group
The National Bairns’ Hoose Implementation Group held its second meeting on 23 January 2025. The virtual meeting brought together key stakeholders from across Scotland to discuss progress and ongoing developments in the Bairns’ Hoose programme.
The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes MSP, provided an update reaffirming the Scottish Government’s commitment to the full Pathfinder phase through to 2027, with assurance that 2025-26 funding will be no less than the previous year with an indicative increase to up to £9 million.
The meeting included spotlight presentations from two Bairns’ Hoose partnerships. Fife shared their progress on establishing robust governance structures and their emphasis on ensuring children and young people’s voices remain central to their work. Tayside presented their planned hub and spoke model, highlighting developments in their health room provision and engagement with young people in designing spaces.
Updates were also provided on analysis work being conducted to inform the Bairns’ Hoose blueprint, on the development of indicators for monitoring and evaluation, and qualitative research being undertaken.
The next meeting of the Implementation Group is scheduled for 28 May 2025 and will be held in person.
April 2025 collaborative learning event in Perth
A Bairns’ Hoose collaborative learning event will take place on 29 April 2025 in Perth. This biannual gathering will bring together Bairns’ Hoose partnerships and key national organisations to share knowledge and strengthen connections across the programme.
The event will feature focused sessions on ‘Bairns’ Hoose and Justice’ and ‘Bairns’ Hoose and Health’, responding to feedback from previous events and the Knowledge Exchange programme. Natalie Don-Innes MSP, Minister for Children, Young People, and The Promise, will attend and deliver a keynote speech.
The learning day will be held in Perth, with thanks to colleagues in Tayside partnership, and Perth and Kinross Council for providing the venue. The event will run from 10:00 to 16:30.
This event continues the programme’s commitment to collaborative learning and knowledge sharing, building on previous successful events like the Anniversary Learning Event held in Aberdeen last October.
Analysis: New resources to support Bairns’ Hoose implementation
The Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) at the University of Strathclyde has made available two valuable resources to support Bairns’ Hoose implementation across Scotland.
On 10 March 2025, CYCJ released a comprehensive literature review titled “Informing Bairns’ Hoose Implementation in Scotland: A Literature Review.” This Scottish Government-funded research draws on international insights and good practice from American Child Advocacy Centers, Canadian Child and Youth Advocacy Centres, European Barnahus centres, and other Barnahus-like services.
Key findings from the literature review highlight that:
- The Barnahus “one-roof” model may require adaptation based on geographical challenges
- Operational frameworks are typically developed collaboratively across partners, with governance structures varying between government-led and NGO-led approaches
- Few countries have dedicated Barnahus legislation, with Slovenia being the notable exception through its 2021 ‘Barnahus Law’
- Workforce models typically include directly employed staff (psychologists, social workers) supplemented by medical and legal professionals on an ad hoc basis
- Equality and accessibility principles are fundamental to the Barnahus approach
Additionally, CYCJ has developed a presentation on “Building & Design – Interior and Exterior of Barnahus and Barnahus-like centres,” providing practical guidance on creating appropriate physical spaces. This resource covers key principles, financing considerations, building types, internal design approaches, the four rooms model, inclusive design principles, and child participation in the design process.
Both resources have been uploaded to the Bairns’ Hoose website and are available below.
- Building and Design: Interior and Exterior of Barnahus & Barnahus-like centres
- Informing Bairns’ Hoose implementation in Scotland: a literature review – Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice
These materials will be valuable for partnerships at all stages of their Bairns’ Hoose journey and anyone with an interest in this important work.
Analysis: Release of the StART 1 report to partnerships
The StART 1 Report has now been distributed to Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder and Affiliate partnerships, as well as Development partnerships involved in the programme. This report, which analyses the Standards Self-assessment Reporting Tool (StART) submissions, provides valuable insights into the implementation of the Bairns’ Hoose Standards across Scotland.
The report offers a comprehensive overview of partnerships’ early implementation journeys, identifying common challenges, successes, and opportunities for development. While the report is not being published, the findings will help inform ongoing work and enable partnerships to learn from one another’s experiences. The Scottish Government and partnerships are using the report to identify both local and national opportunities for improvement and further development of the Bairns’ Hoose model.
This forms part of the broader analytical programme for the Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder phase, which includes the upcoming StART 2 submissions expected in August 2025 and the ongoing qualitative research conducted by Ipsos Scotland.
NBHIG working groups update
Three working groups are now either active or being scoped to support the delivery of the Bairns’ Hoose programme across Scotland, focusing on key areas identified by the National Bairns’ Hoose Implementation Group.
The Bairns’ Hoose Indicators Working Group has already held productive meetings to develop core quantitative measures that will track progress and highlight areas for improvement in Bairns’ Hoose implementation nationwide. This group includes representatives from all partnerships and national stakeholders, with the aim of creating a practical data collection framework that won’t burden local authorities. The final set of indicators and reporting template is expected by summer 2025, with the first data collection planned for late 2025.
A Children and Young People Engagement Working Group has been established to ensure that young people’s voices remain central to the development of Bairns’ Hoose. The introductory first meeting between link workers took place on 14 January 2025. This meeting was an opportunity to meet other link workers and share progress and any current challenges being faced. The second meeting took place during March 2025. These meetings focus on supporting local partnerships to engage effectively with children and young people, sharing best practices, and addressing barriers to participation.
A third potential group focusing on Victim Support and Bairns’ Hoose is being scoped with key partners. The proposed focus is to explore how support and recovery approaches in Bairns’ Hoose can best support children and families while integrating with other services, particularly the justice system. This work will examine the inclusion of health services in meeting Bairns’ Hoose standards and ensure third sector representation in recovery support.
These groups represent a strategic approach to addressing implementation challenges and ensuring the Bairns’ Hoose model delivers holistic, integrated support to vulnerable children across Scotland. It is planned that working groups will provide regular updates to the National Bairns’ Hoose Implementation Group to support its key role in advising on the development of Bairns’ Hoose in Scotland.
Funding update
The Scottish Government continues its ongoing commitment to the Bairns’ Hoose programme to support the delivery of Bairns’ Hoose with up to £10.5 million investment towards the programme during 2025-2026. £9 million of this total investment has been made available across the Pathfinder, Affiliate, and Development funds for 2025 to 2026.
The Pathfinder Phase Fund is currently administered by the Fund Administrator, Impact Funding Partners (IFP), who provide ongoing support to partnerships in managing their grants.
Bairns’ Hoose Fund for 2025-26
The 2025-26 Bairns’ Hoose Fund streams are:
- Pathfinder Fund – aims to provide grant funding to six Bairns’ Hoose Pathfinder partnerships.
- Affiliate Fund – aims to provide grant funding to four Bairns’ Hoose Affiliate partnerships.
- Development Fund – aims to provide a range of smaller Developmental Grants to partnerships that are at an earlier stage of their Bairns’ Hoose journey. This fund will be open to existing and new applicants.
Applications for the Bairns’ Hoose Fund closed on 21 February and following independent assessment of the applications, recommendations are being made to Ministers.
While we remain on track to confirm awards to partnerships from week commencing Monday 07 April, we are monitoring the approval process closely and IFP will provide further updates to applicants.
Knowledge Exchange programme update
The Bairns’ Hoose Knowledge Exchange programme continues to provide valuable learning opportunities throughout 2025:
- Recent Events (January to 1 April)
- January: “A child’s journey through the Scottish justice system” webinar featuring representatives from Police Scotland, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
FEBRUARY: - StART analysis review highlighting Pathfinder achievements and challenges
- Insights Session on building effective partnership relationships with CYCJ experts
MARCH:
- Knowledge sharing on “Psychological safety in multiagency teams” and “Building and design of the Bairns’ Hoose” with international expertise from Helsinki University Hospital
- 1st April: “Supporting staff to work differently” with Karen Hangartner from the National Child Advocacy Center (USA)
Upcoming Events (April) - 15th April: “Child protection and healthcare landscape in Iceland” presented by Ólöf Ásta Farestveit (National Agency for Children and Families, Iceland)
Further sessions planned for May and June will explore health assessments in Copenhagen Barnahus, trauma-informed change implementation, and health roles in Bairns’ Hoose teams.
We welcome your suggestions for topics and speakers for the July to December 2025 Knowledge Exchange programme. Please send your ideas to his.barnahusstandards@nhs.scot or contact the team to register for upcoming events.
Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework now available
The Scottish Government has launched the Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework, a valuable new resource for professionals working with children and young people across Scotland.
This Framework is designed for individual workers wanting to build or reflect on their children’s rights knowledge and implement a children’s human rights approach in their practice. It will also support training planners, trainers and workforce leads responsible for developing professional skills.
Developed through co-production with workers, children, young people and their families, the Framework should be used alongside the Training Plan and understood before detailed training planning begins.
This release marks the first version of the Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework, which the Scottish Government will continue to review, with a focus on increasing functionality and incorporating newly available resources.
The Framework aligns with the Bairns’ Hoose commitment to upholding children’s rights and implementing child-centred approaches to supporting vulnerable children and young people. It provides another valuable tool for professionals working across the various disciplines involved in delivering Bairns’ Hoose services.
The Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework is now available on the Scottish Government website.
North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose releases accessible learning summary
The University of Edinburgh has published an accessible learning summary titled “The North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose 2023-2024: The Story So Far,” providing an easy-to-understand overview of the first year of the North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose journey.
This accessible resource has been developed to ensure that young people and families involved in the Bairns’ Hoose research study can better understand their important contributions to improving the service. All children and family members who participated in the research by sharing their stories will receive a printed copy of the booklet by post.
The publication follows the successful launch event of the North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose Phase Two Findings Report held at the Playfair Library, University of Edinburgh, in September 2024. That report highlighted significant progress, including that the North Strathclyde Bairns’ Hoose had become the preferred location for Joint Investigative Interviews.
The new learning summary provides another valuable resource for understanding the impact of the Bairns’ Hoose model and will help inform ongoing implementation efforts across Scotland.
The learning summary is now available on the University of Edinburgh’s website.