Barnahus Is Coming: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of How Child Sexual Abuse Services at a Dublin Hospital Adapt and Respond

Abstract

The Barnahus Model, influencing how professionals across child protection, criminal justice and health come together to support families, has become the core model of response to concerns of child sexual abuse (CSA) in Europe and represents a significant social innovation currently being developed in Ireland. In 2019, Barnahus West in Galway, Ireland, was launched. Two additional services, Barnahus South and East, are in development. Nine senior professionals, across three internal services in a Dublin hospital and members of this organisations Barnahus steering group, participated in semistructured interviews on this topic. This reflexive thematic analysis, utilising the lenses of leadership, innovation and change, explores how already existing services based in this Dublin hospital may adapt and respond to facilitate this social innovation. Three themes were identified: Focus of Change Management, Barriers to Change and First Steps to Implementation. Recommendations include that a collective leadership approach is best suited to implementation of this change. The steering group would also benefit from utilising a formal change model to support their work. Small-scale testing of an initial cross-system response to CSA to inform wider implementation of systemic change is recommended.