Barnahus, care service for child victims of sexual abuse

Aina Relats on 6 June 2023

A pioneering integrated unit in Catalonia and Spain, made up of a specialised multidisciplinary team, whose objective is to avoid the re-victimisation of children and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse and to provide all the necessary care in a single space.

Barnahus is a project to help children and young people –from 0 to 18 years of age– who have suffered sexual abuse and to prevent aggression against minors. It puts the victim of sexual abuse at the centre, working in a single space with all the care services they need and minimising the traumatic experience of reliving the aggression. This avoids victims having to go through courts, police stations, hospitals and children’s services. It is promoted by Save the Children and is supported by five Catalan government departments, mainly the Social Rights department, but in coordination with the Health, Education, Justice and Interior departments.

Barnahus has a welcoming and friendly appearance to provide security, comfort and confidence to children and their families. There are separate rooms to preserve privacy, a kitchen-dining room, offices and a medical examination room. The psychosocial team –consisting of psychologists and social workers with a coordinator– works full time, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and also offers translation services.

Characteristics of innovation

Publications, Adolescence and youth, Childhood, Cross-cutting intervention, Families and upbringing, Integrated care, Mental health, New service, Personalization of the service, Proximity care

Localization

Catalonia

Partners / Funders

Catalan Government

Genesis

Barnahus began as a pilot project –a pioneer in Spain– in 2020 in the Tarragona Educational Complex, following the European model -the Barnahus emerged in 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland- and with the aim of extending throughout the country. A new centre has recently opened its doors in Manresa. In addition, a comprehensive strategy has been developed to address sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence in Catalonia, including preventive policies and specific training.

Level of implementation

The Barnahus service, in operation since mid-2020 in Tarragona as a pilot test, has enabled the detection of 622 cases of sexual abuse of minors and adolescents in this period in Catalonia, according to data from the Department of Social Rights in 2023. Thus, it has been postulated as a successful model and for this reason the Department of Social Rights of the Government of Catalonia wants to implement and promote the service, throughout 2023, in other Catalan towns (Tortosa, Lleida, Seu d’Urgell, Manresa, Vilanova and Geltrú, Girona, Prat de Llobregat, Granollers, Terrassa, Badalona, Mataró and Barcelona).

More information

Propose your innovation

See our selection of innovations

Banc d’innovacions

Projecte e-Fabrik - Joves col·laboren amb persones amb discapacitat per crear ajuts funcionals

E-Fabrik, innovative and solidarity solutions for people with disabilities

E-Fabrik is an innovative initiative that brings together young people and individuals with disabilities in a creative community with the aim of jointly conceiving solutions to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities in their daily lives.

Imatge d'una habitant del projecte Llar Casa Bloc a l'entrada de l'edifici.

Llar Casa Bloc, Social Housing and Support for Empowering Individuals in Vulnerable Situations

“Llar casa bloc” is a social housing network project promoted by Hàbitat3, providing social support and technological resources to promote autonomy and empowerment among its residents.

Case Compass, social services case management toolkit

Vangin, integration of social services into a single citizen portal

Concilia, a public service to support the reconciliation of work, family and personal life for people with limited resources

Toni Codina on 10 January 2023

Free municipal babysitting service for single-parent families with few resources, women victims of gender violence and families with no community network, so that they can combine the care and education of children with work, family and personal obligations.

This service is currently extended to 12 neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, and operates 7 days a week outside school hours. It has teams of educators, who can work with a maximum of 8 children, and are in charge of attending families, as well as programming and dynamizing the activities that are carried out. This public service can be requested from 2 weeks in advance up to 12 hours in advance, with the exception of emergency cases in which it can be requested up to 30 minutes in advance.

The service works with 2 main objectives: on the one hand, it is a support to the work and personal balance of families with difficulties, which facilitates the training of mothers and fathers, their incorporation into the working world, their involvement in the neighborhood, and even being able to enjoy occasional moments of rest. On the other hand, it is also aimed at offering children quality leisure time, with activities and pedagogical dynamics adapted to different ages and needs.

Children between 1 and 12 years old can enjoy the service on an occasional or more regular basis, and basic, ludicosocial and educational attention is guaranteed through values such as participation, environmental and emotional education, interculturality and art.