Participation
Involving children, young people and families
Participation has been a fundamental part of developing Bairns Hoose with children, young people and families. The drive to implement Bairns Hoose across Scotland is rooted in the voices and experiences of children, young people and the professionals that support them. For over forty years, Children First has supported children and families who have experienced abuse and violence to recover. Their stories and experiences of re-traumatisation by the justice and care system, combined with our understanding of the international evidence underpins the campaign for and roll out of transformational change, through Bairns Hoose.
The Barnahus model, on which Bairns Hoose is based, was originally developed in Iceland to address concerns that children’s views were not being heard satisfactorily in judicial and administrative proceedings (Article 12, UNCRC).
Read more about the international Barnahus model in the case for Bairns Hoose section of this practical guide.
Children and families have played a critical role in the campaign for Bairns Hoose and the development and design of Scotland's first Bairns Hoose. They continue to shape the ongoing work of the Children First North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose delivers.
Upholding children's Article 12 rights, by making sure that children and families can meaningfully participate in the development and delivery of local Bairns Hoose must be a key priority for local partnerships.
The Lundy model of participation
Children First use the Lundy model to embed child participation across all areas of our work, including the ongoing development of the Children First North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose. Building on this work, we are shaping the development of participation across the European PROMISE network.
The Lundy model encourages decision-makers to address the qualities of rights based participation using four concepts: space, voice, audience and influence. They apply to any issue and any decision affecting individual children or children as a group. The model also provides
explicit recognition of the interaction of article 12 with all other rights in the UNCRC, including the right to be protected from harm in Article 19, another foundational principle of the Barnahus model.
The four concepts have a rational chronological order:
- Space: provide a safe and inclusive space for children to express their views
- Voice: provide information and support the expression of views
- Audience: ensure that children's views are communicated to someone who has the responsibility to listen
- Influence: the decision-maker should make a commitment to giving children's views due weight and children should receive feedback explaining what has happened to their views and why.
Read more about how to apply the Lundy model to build a culture of participation in the specific context of Barnahus
Changemakers
In February 2022, Children First brought together a group of young people with specific experience of welfare and justice processes after abuse or harm, to influence the development of the Bairns Hoose (Children First, 2024).
They decided to name themselves the Changemakers and describe themselves as:
" A group of young, inspired people, from different walks of life, who are passionate about making change.
"We have experienced different things in our lives that make us young experts.
We want to help children and young people, by helping make a difference in the justice system. We want to make it better, so it is less difficult, traumatic, and exhausting for other children and young people."
The membership of the original Children First Changemakers group has evolved over time. As Bairns Hoose develops across Scotland, Children First have brought together other groups of Changemakers to support the development of Bairns Hooses in their local areas, including Aberdeen and Ayrshire and their influence and impact continues to grow.
Since 2022 Changemakers have:
- Shared testimonies, including statements, interviews, letters, poems and songs, with key strategic leaders. Testimonies including Sophie’s song and Lydia’s poem have been presented as a core element of national and local strategic meetings, sent to representatives of criminal justice and court systems and published online to ensure the experience of children remain central in decision making fora and are heard by people in positions of power.
- Informed the development of the Children First North Strathclyde Bairns Hoose building. Seventy children were involved in creative workshops, with specific groups with parents and carers. This included consultation on design priorities and key elements and involvement in the final design of the Hoose and in particular the garden space.
- Developed scripts and voiced two welcome videos to introduce children and young people to the Bairns Hoose before they visit and to offer professionals a virtual tour of the Bairns Hoose.
- Created a film to inform the development of the Scottish Bairns Hoose standards.
- Supported recruitment for Bairns Hoose posts, through young people interview panels and reviewing applicant videos.
Find out more about the Children First Changemakers in their own words here.
Visit the children's views about Bairns Hoose page of this practical guide to see all of the resources that Changemakers and their families have developed to inform the roll out of Bairns Hoose and bring about transformational change in the justice and protection system.