Barnahus Forum 2025 supported members to advance their work with care, investigation, quality assurance, and welcoming all children
The Barnahus Forum 2025 took place in Tallinn, Estonia on 12-13 June.
Participants engaged on a wide range of practice-based, policy-relevant, and forward-looking discussions. From integrating mental health and medical services, to adapting forensic interviews, ensuring access for underserved groups, improving evaluation and accountability, and enhancing child participation—each session informed, provoked thought, and connected professionals working at all levels of implementation.
The track on advancing care covered the finalisation of the new standard on child protection, insights on practice and coordination across Europe, and the potential for EMDR therapy to be used more widely in Barnahus settings. This track provided practical inspiration for advancing care across disciplines.
The track on inclusive target groups focused on how Barnahus can recognise and respond to children whose experiences, needs, or identities may place them at the margins of mainstream practice. From children with disabilities, to those harmed online, to those who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour, the sessions reflected on practical, legal, and ethical dimensions of inclusion.
The track on evaluation, quality, and impact examined how we know that the practice of Barnahus is achieving the goals it promises. From listening to children’s voices, to reviewing national evaluations, to co-developing a common European evaluation framework—these sessions centred on the question of how we measure what matters. The track highlighted the shared responsibility of Barnahus teams, governments, and networks to demonstrate the value and integrity of the approach—while remaining responsive to children, families, and the professionals who serve them.
The track on advancing investigation looked at evidence-based, rights-compliant, and coordinated approaches. Sessions examined how forensic interviews and medical evaluations can be embedded within multidisciplinary teams in ways that enhance both the quality of evidence and the experience of justice for children. Participants gained tools, insights, and legal framing to help ensure that investigations in Barnahus not only meet judicial standards but support child wellbeing and uphold procedural rights.
In plenary sessions, participants heard about Iceland’s continued, dedicated work to contribute to new laws, to track and improve quality in their Barnahus, and to continually work to ensure broad buy-in amongst stakeholders. They heard from children about how they want professionals to show them respect and treat them well, and also about how to include them in evaluation processes. They also heard welcoming words from the Council of the Baltic Sea States and its Estonian Presidency.
They heard from the Network about milestones and progress, both on the national level, and on the network level. Finally, they met the 2025-2028 Steering Group of the Network, and celebrated the professional accomplishments of Maria Keller-Hamela from Empowering Children Poland, who received a Lifetime Achievement award.
About the organisers
The Forum was co-organised by the Barnahus Network, the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, and the Estonian Barnahus, with the financial support of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme (CERV) of the European Union.
The above has produced with co-funding from European Union. The contents herein are the sole responsibility of the respective project partnership and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.
