Comprehensive services of the
Barnahus
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit
Director of Barnahus
31. May 2012
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Mission of the Barnahus
• To facilitate collaboration and coordination of the
CPS, Police, Prosecution and the Medical
profession in the investigation of child sexual
abuse
• To provide a child friendly settings for joint
investigative interviews and medical examination
• To ensure professional implementation of
investigative interviews
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Mission of the Barnahus
• To ensure that the child victim and his/her family
receives appropriate assessment, treatment and
support
• To establish professional work practices and
guidelines by interdisciplinary cooperation
• To enhance specialized knowledge on child sexual
abuse and to mediate that knowledges as
appropriate to prefessionals and the public alike
• Not to harm the child
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Referral to Barnahus
Child tells about
sexual abuse
Reported to the police
Reported to CPS
Vitness debriefing
Preliminary
interview
Court
The childs testimoni
Treatment
in Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Basic functions
Child sexual abuse from ages
3 ½ - 18 years.
Joint forensic interviews
CPS prelimanery forensic
interviews
Medical examination
Victim therapy and family
counselling and support
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Investigative interviews
• The court judge is in charge
of the procedure
• The forensic interview is
copied on DVD
• The questioner is educated
in childrens development
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit - Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Investigative interviews
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The court judge
The prosecution
The police
The CPS representative
The child´s legal advocate
The defence
The alleged offender
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit - Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
The CPS preliminary interview
At the request of the CPS
Disclosure is absent or very
weak/ambiguous
Offender has not been identified
Offender is below the age of criminal
responsibility(15 years)
9
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
The interview room
• Specially designet interview
room
• Safety – child friendly
setting
• camera
• Information about all present
• Everyone can ask questions
through the questioner
• IT- link to the courthouse
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit - Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Medical examination
• Request of the police/CPS
• Experienced pediatrician,
nurse and gynaecologist
• A child friendly
examination room
• Using video-colposcope
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Victim Therapy and family counselling
 The child and the non-offending parent(s) receive
(legal) counselling immediately after the
investigative interview
 Victim therapy can start soon after
 TF-CBT (Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral
therapy) http://tfcbt.musc.edu/
 The DVD recorded child´s disclosure is used for
initial assessment and treatment plan
 Therapy is practiced in the child´s hometown
 The therapist is most often important witness in
court proceedings
12
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Iceland – one Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
After 13 years of experience
• Efficient, professional and child-friendly work procedures
and case management
• re-victimization of the child victim minimized
• Appropriate therapeutic services secured
• Mutula professional trust among the different agencies
• Assimilation of knowledge and experience
• Increased public awareness and confidence in the
authorities
• Increased „rate of discovery“
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Barnahus in 13 years
1. nov. 1998-31.dec 2011
“Forensic
interviews”
Treatment
Medical
examination
Number of
children
2367
Average
182
1320
101,5
300
23
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit - Barnahus
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Total forensic interview
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
CPS
court
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit Barnahús Island
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Number of children 2008
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
CPS
Court
treatment
3-5 år
6-8 år
9-11 år
12-14 år
15-17 år
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit Barnahús Island
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Difference between the sexes
2008- in interviews
35
30
25
20
boys
15
girls
10
5
0
3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years
12-14
years
15-17
years
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit Barnahús Island
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Treatment 2008
25
20
15
boys
10
girls
5
0
3-5 years 6-8 years 9-11 years
12-14
years
15-17
years
Ólöf Ásta Farestveit Barnahús Island
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Child-friendly testimony
Giving testimony (%)
90
83
80
70
70
74
73
66
60
61
60
60
48
50
44
40
40
Barnahus/CAC
33
30
20
10
0
Generally
satisfied
Positive to
interviewer
Content with info Content with info
before the
after the interview
interview
Not harder to
testify than
expected
Felt better after
testifying
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Court House
Child-friendly environment
Environment for testifying (%)
100
90
86
80
75
69
70
60
50
44
42
40
30
23
20
10
0
Good location
Atractive facility
Positive to waiting room
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
Barnahus
Court House
A Court case date 21. Oct. 2009
• A father was sentence by the High Court to
5 years imprisonment for sexually abusing
his daughter who was 3,5 years of age at the
time of the hearing in spite of:
–
–
–
–
No medical evidence
No witness other than the child
Very limited verbal disclosure due to her age
Strong denial of the accused
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is
We must think of
The child´s best interest !
Barnahús – The Children´s House · www.bvs.is