New video on NRP 76: Insights into home visits practice
The research project by Martina Koch and her team shows that for the professionals, the art of a good home visit lies primarily in managing areas of tension.
Home visits conducted as part of child and adult protection investigations give the authorities an insight into the housing conditions and living environment of the people involved. At the same time, however, they intrude on people’s private lives. Professionals should evaluate on a case-by-case basis whether the home visit is really necessary or whether the information required could also be obtained by other means.
The findings of Martina Koch's research team show that home visits are currently very widespread in child protection. They also reveal, however, that professionals today are far more aware of their own normative mindset when assessing housing and living conditions than they were in the 1960s and 1970s.
However, due to the federal structures, investigation practices still vary greatly. There are considerable differences regarding investigation processes and practices within the Swiss-German cantons and regions studied. In addition, the legislation does not stipulate what quality standards apply to investigations and what professional qualifications those performing investigations must hold.
To provide some insights into the findings of the NRP 76 research projects, NRP 76 has created a number of videos, including this one on the project by Martina Koch and her team. The findings of NRP 76 are presented in three thematic volumes – the project on home visits can be found in Volume 2 “Diffuse Verantwortlichkeiten” [Diffuse responsibilities]. The books are available in print and as e-books (open access).