Introduction
This document offers inspiration and guidance for drafting an interagency agreement which formalises multidisciplinary and interagency (MDIA) team collaboration between agencies involved in Barnahus (a child-friendly, interdisciplinary and multi-agency centre for child victims and witnesses where children could be interviewed and medically examined for forensic purposes, comprehensively assessed and receive all relevant therapeutic services from appropriate professionals). It is based on the Barnahus Quality Standards for multidisciplinary and interagency services for child victims and witnesses of violence in Europe, and is inspired by interagency agreements from Barnahus in Europe and Child Advocacy Centers in the US.
Interagency agreements are shaped by law, policy, procedures and the way that the participating agencies function in a specific country, region or local community. In some cases, financial and human resources determine the scope and function of the Barnahus.
The formulation of the interagency agreement should therefore always be done on the basis of a careful analysis of the national situation, including law, policy and resources that might shape the different elements covered by the agreement.
This guidance will help you navigate different elements that are helpful to include in an interagency agreement, pointing to important issues to consider and examples of what others have done. The different elements, and the order in which they appear in this template is flexible and should be adapted to what suits a particular context best.
