Bairns Hoose

Thanks to an award from players of People’s Postcode Lottery through the Postcode Dream Fund, Victim Support Scotland is collaborating with Children 1st, the University of Edinburgh and Children England to build Britain’s first Barnahus known as the ‘Bairns Hoose’.

Support and justice under one roof
The Bairns Hoose will be a child-friendly, safe and welcoming place for children to go to, as an alternative to courts, social work offices and police stations. Designed to feel like a family home, the Bairns Hoose will be a space where child victims and witnesses can give evidence, receive medical care, take part in decisions about their protection and get support to recover from the trauma they have experienced.

It is inspired by the internationally renowned Barnahus model, first developed in Iceland. Scotland is also part of the European Barnahus Movement, PROMISE, to share learning and promote best practice.

A catalyst for change
Children and families repeatedly tell us that the justice system causes them further harm. Many children have said they found our current system of justice more traumatic than the experience that brought them into contact with the system. The impact can last a lifetime.

By reducing the number of times a child needs to talk about what’s happened to them the Bairns Hoose will ensure children get justice, reduce the trauma they experience and can begin to recover more quickly. Our ambition is that this first Child’s House will be a catalyst for change that transforms our systems of care and justice across  Scotland and Great Britain.

Watch an interview with Children 1st Chief Executive, Mary Glasgow, about the Child’s House on Rooftop TV.

Thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery
The Child’s House for Healing is being built thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery. It’s been made possible through £1.5 million of funding, awarded through the Postcode Dream Fund in March 2020. We are so incredibly grateful to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their support, and making the dream for child victims and witnesses come true.

Progress towards a Bairns Hoose for Scotland

To access news and blogs on Bairns Hoose from the Children 1st website, click here.

You can also find out more about the vision for a Bairns Hoose on the Scottish Government website.

This page will be updated with the latest information about the Child’s House for Healing, as it progresses.