CYP Now - Commissioner calls for government roll out of 'child house' approach in England

The government should fund the creation of a network of Scandinavian-style specialist support centres for children who have been sexually abused or exploited, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said.

The Lighthouse provides therapeutic support to children from five boroughs in north central London. Picture: Lighthouse

Speaking at a parliamentary event, commissioner Dame Rachel De Souza lamented the lack of progress in developing multi-agency centres to support victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) since the opening of the Lighthouse project in 2018, still England’s only “child house” service.

The Lighthouse provides health and therapeutic services, law enforcement, criminal justice, case management, and specialist advice and advocacy under one roof to around 220 children a year who have experienced CSA from five boroughs in north central London.

Its approach is based on the Barnahus model from Scandinavia. There are now dozens of Barnahus projects across Europe – Sweden has 34, Germany 12 and Scotland five – and the model has been shown to improve children’s outcomes and deliver value for public money.

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