Range of services
We offer innovative research, continuing education courses and consulting services for successful growth.
We provide effective, sustainable and practical solutions for our various stakeholder groups in welfare services for children, youth and families in the following areas:
Research and development
Our interdisciplinary team offers a wide spectrum of methodological and subject-matter skills. We share expertise with national and international networks of researchers, experts and stakeholder groups. Our specific focus is on transgenerational themes and actively involving stakeholder groups in projects relating to these themes. This produces viable, sustainable results, contributing to the successful growth of children and young people.
Our practice-oriented research portfolio ranges from tailored contract research to research projects spanning several years. The majority of our clients and cooperation partners work in the following fields:
- Stakeholders in welfare services for children, youth and families in domestic and institutional contexts
- Cantonal and communal departments in the field of children, youth and families
- Child and adult protection agencies
- Assessment and mandated services in child and adult protection
- Federal offices
- Communities, cities and cantons
- Employers in business and public administration
- Foundations and organisations that fund research
- Universities and universities of applied sciences
Consulting services
Our consulting services are informed by practice-oriented research. Thus they are both practical and science-based. In direct discussion with you, we establish the best means of supporting you.
Our offer includes the following areas:
Child and adult protection
In the dynamic field of child and adult protection, our multidisciplinary team (consisting of social work, law, psychology and social sciences) offers tailored, practice-oriented consulting services.
Bern and Lucerne Child Protection Assessment Tool
Together with the Lucerne School of Social Work, we have developed an assessment tool for child welfare. The «Bern and Lucerne Child Protection Assessment Tool» provides technical assistance for all relevant assessment tasks. These include safety and risk assessments, assessments of the need for help and assessments of the need for official measures ordered by the authorities.
It helps focus the assessment process on the content that is actually relevant for a risk assessment. This content is analysed to the necessary depth, producing more precise results.
The interlocking of the various assessment tasks and the system of official measures under Swiss civil law is unique for Switzerland. The «Bern and Lucerne Child Protection Assessment Tool» has also been developed as a web application. This enables practical application in addition to established IT recording systems, largely without the need for any additional resources.
Order the web application
If you would like to use the web application in your organisation, you can order it here.
Our other services
For politicians, authorities, administrations and social services, we offer the following consulting services:
- In-house training on legal and methodological issues relating to child and adult protection
- Assessment and expertise
- Case-specific coaching and legal advice
- Development and implementation of subject-related concepts and practical tools
- Implementation of child and adult protection in communities and social services
- Talks and presentations on topics relating to child and adult protection
- We’d be happy to arrange a personal consultation and more detailed information.
Foster care and sense of belonging
A sense of belonging and connection are particularly relevant to the mental health of young people and adolescents living outside their family of origin.
With our interdisciplinary team (consisting of social work, psychology, educational science, sociology and social anthropology), we offer tailored, research-based, practice-oriented consulting services in this field.
We are currently developing the MemoryBox web application and a methodology toolbox for recording the memories of children and adolescents growing up in various institutions over the long term.
The MemoryBox web app was developed on a participatory basis and allows children and adolescents in foster care to document their biographical sense of belonging at their own pace, in a creative, reflective way.
An accompanying study explores the impact of these support measures, with an emphasis on individual experiences of belonging.
Our other services
For politicians, authorities, administrations and social services, we offer the following consulting services on the topics of belonging, biography work and the transgenerational impact of foster care:
- Assessment and expertise
- Development and implementation of subject-related concepts and tools for social institutions, e.g. the MemoryBox web application and methodology toolbox
- Presentations and talks
- Tailored continuing education courses
Processes of participation for people experiencing poverty
Participation and inclusion are hot topics at the moment. But what do they actually mean? When do processes of participation work and succeed and how do they function? We have established guidelines for the inclusion of affected individuals in the prevention and relief of poverty by producing a best practice guide in three languages. This best practice guide has been drawn up on the basis of study findings in collaboration with affected individuals and constitutes a working tool for the planning, implementation and evaluation of processes of participation:
- «If you ask me…»... Integrating the knowledge and experience of persons affected by poverty
- « Et si vous nous donniez la parole » – Tenir compte des savoirs d’expérience des personnes concernées
- «Se volete il mio parere...» – Tenere conto delle conoscenze ed esperienze delle persone povere o a rischio di povertà
Our other services
For politicians, authorities, administrations and social services, we offer the following consulting services on topics relating to processes of participation in the various fields of action (e.g. child and youth services, education and healthcare providers and social services):
- Assessment and expertise
- Development and implementation of subject-related concepts and tools
- Presentations/talks
- Tailored continuing education courses, e.g. the ‘Sharing experiences and expertise’ pilot course
Other services
- Specialist consulting, assessment and expertise
- Development and implementation of subject-related concepts and practical tools
- Project consultation and support
- Evaluation
- Quality development
- Tailored in-house continuing education
- Workshops and presentations
We’d be happy to arrange a personal consultation and more detailed information.
Continuing education
Thanks to our wide range of part-time continuing education programmes on child and adult protection and school social work, you can gain basic knowledge or specific skills and expertise in the various fields of practice.
