National roll-out of Child Houses to support victims of sexual abuse announced at UCLH’s Lighthouse

Wes Streeting, health and social care secretary, and Jess Phillips, minister for safeguarding, joined Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, and Kaya Comer-Schwartz, deputy mayor for policing and crime, at UCLH’s Lighthouse to announce a national roll-out of Child Houses to all NHS regions.

Child Houses, also known by the Scandinavian word ‘Barnahus’, are places where professionals from physical and mental health, advocacy and criminal justice, come together under one roof in a child-friendly environment to provide a holistic service for children who have experienced sexual abuse. The Lighthouse, which is led by UCLH working with the Met Police, courts and judiciary, and the NSPCC, is England’s first Child House and supports around 500 children a year from north central London.

The Lighthouse has demonstrated clear and measurable success since opening in 2018, supporting around three thousand children and young people through direct appointments and multi-agency care. Outcomes have been very positive with 78% of children reporting improvement in daily functioning and 61% showing improvement in trauma symptoms. In addition, 81% of parents and carers said they have increased confidence in supporting their child.

The government’s announcement that the Child House model will be expanded to all NHS regions, supported by £50 million investment, was made at the Lighthouse alongside a number of other measures to support victims of abuse.

Effi Stergiopoulou, Lighthouse strategic lead, commented,

“It was wonderful to welcome the health secretary, safeguarding minister, as well as the Mayor and Deputy Mayors of London, to the Lighthouse for this momentous announcement that Child Houses, like the Lighthouse, will be expanded to every NHS region in England.”

Dr Laura Smith, Lighthouse clinical lead, added,

“The Lighthouse team has been working towards an expansion of Child Houses for a number of years, so it is fantastic that this will now become a reality. It is vital that many more child victims of sexual abuse can benefit from the holistic support that Child House services can offer with their recovery from sexual abuse and access to justice.”

David Probert, UCLH chief executive, said,

“We welcome the announcement that there will be more services like the Lighthouse across the country for children who have experienced sexual abuse. Child Houses are special places that offer access to criminal justice, healthcare, practical and emotional support all under one roof - meaning children only need to tell their story once.

“We are happy to share our experience of running England’s first Child House to help more children to recover and find justice.”

Read more about the Government’s announcement to support victims of abuse here.