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.
However, De Souza said the “let a thousand flowers bloom approach” taken to the creation of child houses in England – which puts responsibility on local areas to set up and fund services - “is not working”.
“We’ve still only got one,” she said.
“The lighthouse should not just be in north London but for all children who need it – we need it scaled right across the country.
“Local areas need up-front investment and the support of central government.
“The funding streams are there, let’s bring them together, let’s make this happen.”
De Souza added that any expansion of child houses would need to have cross-government support and not be led by a single department.
“Scotland has legislated for the national roll out of this model as have many of our European neighbours,” she said.
“If we’re serious about it, it needs action now to make it happen. We have a new government with progressive ideas – [it] has a unique opportunity for bold, long-term thinking on complex issues that puts the best interests of the child at the centre.”
The Lighthouse is run by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with the support of the Metropolitan Police and the NSPCC.
In 2022, it was awarded funding from NHS England, North Central London Integrated Care Partners, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.
