Today, the Council of Europe and the European Commission have published a new Practical guidance for national authorities on how to design and implement a reform to apply the Barnahus model – a pioneering initiative for the protection of children from violence, including sexual violence.
Protecting children from all forms of violence, including sexual violence, is a fundamental objective and shared priority of both the Council of Europe and the European Union. Firmly anchored in their respective mandates and policy frameworks, both institutions have long championed child-friendly justice reforms across Europe. By developing policy standards, strategic guidance, targeted financial support, and capacity-building initiatives, we empower national authorities to strengthen their child protection systems, and to uphold the best interests of the child. This collective commitment reflects Europe’s determination to ensure that no child is left unprotected or unheard.
The newly published guidance builds on lessons learned and experience from the five joint European Union – Council of Europe projects on Barnahus co-funded through Technical Support Instrument (TSI) in Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Slovenia and Spain, and on extensive expert consultations across Council of Europe and EU member states.
Barnahus (Children’s House), a child-friendly, multidisciplinary, and interagency response model, has become a recognised standard of excellence for the co-ordination of criminal and child welfare investigations in cases of violence against children, particularly sexual violence. It brings together justice, health, and social support services under one roof to prevent secondary victimisation and create a safe environment for recovery, while also increasing the evidential validity of the child’s testimony. In 2015, the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee) recognised Barnahus as a promising practice which since then has evolved into a widely endorsed European standard for effective child protection systems.
The guidance serves as a reform companion and step-by-step roadmap to inspire, inform, and support national and regional authorities in building co-ordinated child-friendly justice systems that place the best interests of the child at the core of all response to violence against children, including sexual violence.
Barnahus mapping study (2023)
Calls for Tenders
