Step 5 – Excellence in practice
Barnahus is recognised as a leading child-friendly, multidisciplinary model for child victims and witnesses of violence.
The model is flexible and is adapted to many different national contexts.
However, in order to practice as a Barnahus, there are foundational criteria and standards that should guide the setup and practice in all countries.
Guided by the Barnahus Quality Standards and the experience of Barnahus, the Competence Centre promotes excellence in practice.
Our experts help Barnahus to develop their practice so that it is in line with international and national law, policy and guidance, including the Barnahus Quality Standards, including through:
- How to set up a Barnahus – organisation, architecture and environment
- MDIA Teams Procedures and checklists
- Case Management – the Promise Hub (in coordination with Network)
- Recording of evidence – technical
- Building a participatory environment in Barnahus
- Practical tools and checklists
- Quality Control – Accreditation
Related webinars and publications
At the Crossroads of child-centred criminal and welfare proceedings
Child protection, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, EU Law, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Legal, MultidisciplinaryAt the Crossroads is a legal briefing which explores the considerations for when criminal justice proceedings intersect with child protection proceedings in cases, particularly when they involve child victims of violence. Experience...
Journey to the Lighthouse – an interview
Advocacy, Competent staff, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Interagency cooperation, MultidisciplinaryIt also features an interview with the author about the Lighthouse, the turning points to launching the service, her motivation to persevere on the long journey to launching it, and what to expect in the future. Special speakers who...
Considerations for evidence recording at the Barnahus
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Factsheet, Forensic interviews, Legal, MultidisciplinaryThere is much more to recording interviews at a Barnahus than setting up a system and hitting record. To best perform its role, a Barnahus must comply with local/international rules and regulations of evidence recording, and be able to...
How Barnahus in Europe work with online sexual abuse
Child protection, Child protection, Enabling environment, Excellence in practiceThis report provides a brief overview of available statistics of cases in Barnahus dealing with online sexual abuse or have some form of online element, examples of typical case types, covid-19 trends, and specific victim needs as...
Partner progress showcase
Barnahus Quality Standards, Excellence in practice, Forensic interviews, Judical, Multidisciplinary, NetworkIn this webinar, we will feature some of the most notable achievements within the European Barnahus Movement thus far, including highlighting unique experiences, approaches and solutions as developed by the PROMISE 2 partners. This...
PROMISE Hub – a technical walkthrough of our forthcoming case management system
Barnahus Quality Standards, Case management, Courses and support, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Interagency cooperationThis webinar is designed to help you evaluate the tool in its current state of development, and to learn about when and how to plan for bringing Hub to your Barnahus....
The PROMISE Child Participation Tool
Child participation, Excellence in practice, Multidisciplinary, TemplatesChildren and young people have a right to express their opinions on things that concern them. To facilitate Barnahus and similar setups to hear about how children experience their service, PROMISE has developed a Child Participation Tool....
At the Crossroads of child-centred criminal and welfare proceedings
Child protection, Child protection, Criminal investigation, Criminal justice, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, EU Law, Excellence in practice, Legal, Multidisciplinary, WebinarsAt the Crossroads is a legal briefing which explores the considerations for when criminal justice proceedings intersect with child protection proceedings in cases, particularly when they involve child victims of violence. Experience...
Medical evaluation: why, how, and diagnostics
Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Interagency cooperation, Medical, Physical healthThis webinar mini-series explores the many considerations for meeting the medical evaluation criteria for Barnahus....
Evaluation Framework & Impact Assessment Guidance
Barnahus Quality Standards, Evaluation, Excellence in practice, Multidisciplinary, TemplatesThis guidance and template establishes a clear framework and systematic approach to: a) Evaluate performance against the Barnahus Quality Standards; b) Assess the impact on, for example, the recovery of the child, equal access to...
Putting the child at the centre: ensuring an inclusive and child-friendly setup
Child friendly, Child participation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yesThis webinar is aimed at professionals who are in all stages of preparing, planning, and continually improving Barnahus or similar setups which are providing a multidisciplinary and interagency response to child victims and witnesses...
Considerations for evidence recording at the Barnahus
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Factsheet, Forensic interviews, Forensic interviews, Interagency cooperation, Legal, Multidisciplinary, WebinarsThere is much more to recording interviews at a Barnahus than setting up a system and hitting record. To best perform its role, a Barnahus must comply with local/international rules and regulations of evidence recording, and be able to...
The PROMISE Barnahus Quality Standards
Barnahus Quality Standards, Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthThe PROMISE Barnahus Quality Standards are composed of underlying principles, specific activities and institutional arrangements that enable child-centred and effective, collaborative actions. Find out more and download the Standards...
Child participation tool
Child friendly, Child participation, Competent staff, Excellence in practice, Multidisciplinary, TemplatesTo facilitate Barnahus and similar setups to hear about how children experience their service, PROMISE has developed a Child Participation Tool. The tool focuses on the child’s experience of Barnahus, including the travel to Barnahus,...
20 years of Barnahus – Featuring Bragi Guðbrandsson
Barnahus Quality Standards, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Multidisciplinary, Network, WebinarsBragi Guðbrandsson, head of the Icelandic Government Agency for Child Protection, is the initiator and purveyor of the Barnahus model...
Tracking progress towards meeting the Barnahus Quality Standards
Barnahus Quality Standards, Evaluation, Excellence in practice, Multidisciplinary, TemplatesThe PROMISE Tracking Tool is a self-evaluation tool based in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet directed at internal learning and the results can be used to define steps that services can take to bring it closer to the Barnahus model and...
Working together in the best interests of the child
Case management, Child protection, Criminal investigation, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical health, WebinarsWorking together in the best interests of the child: discussions on the formal agreements and the daily work of multidisciplinary interagency cooperation...
Facility Dogs Assisting at Barnahus and similar setups
Child friendly, Child participation, Competent staff, Excellence in practice, Multidisciplinary, WebinarsChildren are naturally drawn to animals, and child-friendly services which use facility dogs report that the comfort they provide often leads to better results for children. From bonding in the lobby to accompanying the child...
Forensic interview: why, how, and adaptations
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Forensic interviews, Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryThis webinar mini-series presents the importance of a forensic interview for child victims and witnesses of violence, how one is conducted, and how to adapt it to the special needs of the child....
Law as one enabling factor for the Barnahus
Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Legal, MultidisciplinaryThere is a range of ways to use legislation to enable the setup and success of the Barnahus. From full legislation to no legislation, having the perfect law in place is incredibly useful, yet not an absolute condition for establishing...
Related courses and support
Medical evaluation in Barnahus
Competent staff, Physical healthDepending on your needs, we can offer online or offline sessions with top European experts – including paediatricians and medical forensic doctors, covering a wide range of topics....
MDIA/MDT – Establishing and working in a multidisciplinary interagency team
Competent staff, Enabling environment, Excellence in practice, MultidisciplinaryThis course introduces multidisciplinary and interagency (MDT or MDIA) teamwork. It explores why teams take work, and the essential components of effective teaming....
Forensic interview with avatar practice
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Establishing Barnahus, MultidisciplinaryThis course offers basic training in child forensic interviews with a specific focus on challenging situation such as interviewing small children and those with special needs. The course consists of one-week online training including...
BaseCan – Introduction to child abuse and neglect
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthThe course covers different theories and working methods tailored to the work of Barnahus, which are relevant for all staff and competencies covering all four rooms embedded in the multidisciplinary approach: criminal...
Barnahus quality standards training
Enabling environment, Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryThe Barnahus Quality Standards is not just our hero document, it is also the publication which current and aspiring Barnahus from 22+ countries have contributed to and/or are currently implementing....
TF-CBT – Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy
Child protection, Competent staff, Mental healthA conjoint child and parent psychotherapy model for children who are experiencing significant emotional and behavioral difficulties related to traumatic life events. Successful participants of this course will be certified to practice...
Plan a study visit to a Barnahus
Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryA study visit to a Barnahus is a rite of passage for a team who is studying if Barnahus will work in their context, or who is tasked with establishing one. More than that, it is an unmissable opportunity for aligning a steering group...
Expert consultations
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthConnect with PROMISE experts to consult on a specific case, to get a second opinion or get specific advice in relation to a specific child protection intervention/case in your Barnahus....
Recording of child interviews
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yesThere is much more to recording interviews at a Barnahus than setting up a system and hitting record. To best perform its role, a Barnahus must comply with local/international rules and regulations of evidence recording, and be able to...
Professional networking and exchange
Child protection, Criminal investigation, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthOur professional networks and exchanges are member-led initiatives based on thematic areas or professional specialization. They support Barnahus staff to connect with their peers from around Europe, and to gain access to a vibrant...
Support desk
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthAll Network members have access to the support desk service, provided by the PROMISE Barnahus Network Secretariat....
University seminars, Q&As, lectures, and modules
Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryThe PROMISE Barnahus Network is proud to support courses, workshops and seminars that include modules introducing the Barnahus model. ...
Judicial workshops
Criminal investigation, Establishing Barnahus, Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryTo convince judges to support the introduction of Barnahus in their national systems, Judge Sigvaldason noted that they often need to hear it from another judge. PROMISE has also seen just how influential it can be for judges to meet...
CFTSI – Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention
Child protection, Competent staff, Mental healthA brief early intervention model for children and adolescents that is implemented soon after exposure or disclosure. Successful participants will be certified to practice CFTSI with clients....
Putting children’s rights and procedural safeguards at the heart of barnahus practice
Child protection, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Getting to yes, MultidisciplinaryThis module supports participants in understanding what a child rights based approach implies and considering how to fulfil those rights in day to day practice in the Barnahus....
Forensic medical
Competent staff, Excellence in practice, Physical healthDescription coming soon ......
CPC-CBT – Combined parent-child cognitive behavioural therapy
Competent staff, Excellence in practice, Mental healthChildren and parents work individually and together. Every session ends with a conjoint meeting with the child and the parents for integration and practicing new skills and strategies. Successful participants will be certified to...
Tailor-made training and support
Child protection, Competent staff, Criminal investigation, Enabling environment, Establishing Barnahus, Excellence in practice, Getting to yes, Mental health, Multidisciplinary, Physical healthIn collaboration with you and based on your needs, we will develop a custom intervention that engages top experts in Europe and abroad who will support your work towards establishing Barnahus and meeting the Barnahus Quality Standards....
BaseCan – Online Sexual Violence Against Children
Child protection, Competent staff, Courses and support, MultidisciplinaryThis course on online sexual violence against children designed for professionals in multidisciplinary interagency teams will focus on the features, prevalence, and impact of online child sexual violence. It covers victim...