The government has announced it will be using Camden’s The Lighthouse as a model to create similar child-focused centres for victims of sexual abuse in England.
The Lighthouse in Camden is a Child House which means a place where children can get support for sexual abuse and begin a process of healing. It is the only one of its kind in the UK and is run by University College London Hospital (UCLH).
Many different professionals work together in a child focused way to get the child and family the support they need.
This includes working with doctors, nurses, play therapists, police, psychiatrists, and therapy workers. These specialists are all based in the same building, so children and young people don’t have to keep telling their story again and again.
“I have long called for a network of Child Houses based on the brilliant Lighthouse in Camden” said Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza.
These measures are part of the government’s wider Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, which was launched before Christmas last year, although the Child Houses which are planned across England will help all children, regardless of gender.
Jess Phillips, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said “For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That’s not good enough. We will halve it in a decade.”