How many Barnahus are there, in which countries?

Hand on heart, it is difficult to say conclusively.

Why? It depends on who you ask, as any given actor may have a different understanding or view on the topic. Also, developments often happen quickly, and the exact way a Barnahus practice may not be consistent. It takes a detailed, nuanced understanding of any one location’s practice to be able to say to which extent they meet the Barnahus Quality Standards.

Even with seemingly perfect conditions, it takes time to put all of the pieces in place and to have a team that can operationally do all of the things expected of them. In short, it’s not usually about intentionally deviating from a plan. Sometimes there are specific legal restrictions in place keeping them from putting all elements in place. Most often, they just haven’t gotten there yet.

Further, our impression is that every Barnahus that exists today still has opportunities to fulfill 100% of the key criteria as per the Barnahus Quality Standards. It makes assessments like this quite challenging to get right.

As a result, in order to avoid errors that might lead to sensitive situations that derail progress, the Barnahus Network does not publish statistics on the current number of Barnahus nor countries who have Barnahus.

What we do know is that there is immense commitment within Europe to practice according to the Barnahus Quality Standards to the greatest extent allowed by local law, and to take incremental steps to achieving all of the Standards. It is a commitment that all Barnahus Network members share that is not about what you call your service, but rather about the quality and impact of its practice on outcomes for children and families. This commitment is visualised in the map on this page.