Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC and Solicitor General Ruth Charteris KC joined chief executive of Children 1st Mary Glasgow at Scotland’s first Bairns Hoose to hear about how the model operates, the difference it makes to children and to support further collaboration between the justice services, Children 1st and local partners from Police Scotland, Social Work and Health.

The law officers were given a tour of the Bairns Hoose, which opened in August 2023. Since then the Bairns Hoose has supported children to share their stories and begin their recovery in a trauma-informed and child-friendly space.

Recording high-quality evidence with as much sensitivity and support as possible should mean that children who are victims or witnesses of crime do not need to continually repeat what has happened to multiple professionals. The overall aim is to improve systems of protection and justice so that children do not experience further or undue harm or delay.

Ms Bain said: “Visits such as this are an opportunity for us to learn more about how the Bairns Hoose model operates in practice, and how it can improve the experiences of and outcomes for children who have experienced trauma.

“As prosecutors, we recognise that children who have been impacted by crime may be profoundly affected. We welcome the development of this new model which will support them and has been designed with their needs and views at its heart. We are committed to working with partners to support the on-going development of a new approach to care, protection and child-friendly justice.”

Mary Glasgow, chief executive of Children 1st, said: “Bairns Hoose is life-changing for many children across North Strathclyde who are now able to come to a child-friendly, trauma-informed space when the worst things happen to them. While we can’t always stop bad things happening to children and young people – we can do everything in our power to help them to recover.

“We welcome the support from the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for rolling out the Bairns Hoose concept across Scotland because we believe every child in the country who needs it should have access to one.

“Children 1st will continue to argue that children should not be required to attend court, unless absolutely and unavoidably necessary. We are a long way from there, but we continue to work with hope and the determination that it can happen.”