Margaret Mitchell

The new suite, which opened towards the end of last year, aims to provide a less daunting setting than a court for vulnerable witnesses and complainers to give evidence in.

The committee scrutinised the proposals for the changes, which were brought forward by the Scottish government, in late 2018 and early 2019.

At that time, the committee called on the government to go further than it was proposing, and fully adopt the Scandinavian Barnahus (or Children’s House) principles into Scots law, adapting it to the Scottish context.

Margaret Mitchell MSP, said: “These facilities are an important first step towards realising the committee’s vision of a Scottish version of the Barnahus model, and members are looking forward to seeing them first hand.

“We recognise the potential stress caused by giving evidence, and we want to ensure steps are taken to avoid children being retraumatised by the court processes.

“On our visit to Oslo, we were struck by how the Barnahus provided wrap-around support. Members therefore welcome the Scottish government’s ongoing work to introduce a similar approach for child victims and witnesses in Scotland.

“Today is a milestone in the move towards a new way to support victims and witnesses giving evidence. The committee is pleased to be able to be here at these new facilities in Glasgow to mark this important occasion.”