Papering the cracks or rebuilding the system: Opportunities and challenges for the Barnahus Model in the United Kingdom

Part of the complexity of responding to child maltreatment lies within its position at the intersection of the child welfare and criminal justice systems. Drawing upon learning from work we have undertaken in two countries within the United Kingdom involving interviews and focus groups with over sixty middle – senior professionals, managers and policy makers, we identify a number of key considerations for the introduction of the Barnahus model into a new context. In doing so, we argue that the Barnahus model could disrupt how we conceive the role and interaction of the child welfare and criminal justice systems – but only if politicians and policy makers are bold in their aspirations for children. Therefore the disruption is about the paradigm and discourse relating to how society responds when a child is identified as being at risk of maltreatment. This involves moving away from a discourse that preferences criminal justice processes and outcomes over those focused on promoting child safety and supporting children to recover from their maltreatment.