The ‘Foster children – next generation’ project aims to improve the conditions under which foster children grow up in Switzerland in the long term. It focuses on research and dialogue in order to find opportunities and new impulses for practice.
Three national research teams each investigated a key topic: the research topic ‘Participation of foster children’ focussed on the perspective of foster children. In the topic of ‘Good support for foster care relationships’, the experience of support was analysed from various perspectives in several cantons. Finally, the effect of federalism was analysed in the project ‘Comparison of cantonal structures’.
The results were continuously compared with practice. To this end, dialogue events were held and the results were presented to a broad public at a highly regarded closing event.
The conclusions drawn from research and dialogue with practitioners are now being incorporated into practically oriented follow-up projects that are intended to contribute to improving the situation of foster children in Switzerland.
The project was managed operationally by the Palatin Foundation until the beginning of 2024 and carried out together with the relevant professional organisations PACH (Pflege- und Adoptivkinder Schweiz) and INTEGRAS (Fachverband für Sozial- und Sonderpädagogik), the SODK (Konferenz der kantonalen Sozialdirektorinnen und Sozialdirektoren), the BSV (Bundesamt für Sozialversicherungen), the KOKES (Konferenz für Kindes und Erwachsenenschutz) and other project partners. Prof Dr Klaus Wolf, University of Siegen, supported the project as a scientific advisor.
The project started in 2019 and will run until 2026, including practical projects, with an option to extend until 2028.
Find out more at www.pflegekinder-nextgeneration.ch
The call for proposals for the practical projects can be found here.