Peer-reviewed article
Participation of Children and Parents in the Swiss Child Protection System in the Past and Present: An Interdisciplinary Perspective
Aline Schoch, Gaëlle Aeby, Brigitte Müller, Michelle Cottier, Loretta Seglias et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study examines how children and parents participate in Switzerland's child protection system, from 1912 to the present. The research is part of a national program investigating welfare practices, particularly around the history of coercive detention of children and adults until 1981. The authors analyze legal and historical developments, observe current hearings before child protection authorities, and discuss how integrity, autonomy and participation have changed over time.
Key points
- Switzerland's child protection system has undergone substantial changes throughout the 20th century, with increasing focus on the participation of affected children and parents
- Critical debates about care-related detention of children and adults until 1981 prompted the launch of the National Research Program 'Welfare and Coercion'
- The study uses three key concepts—integrity, autonomy and participation—as a theoretical framework to understand the position of parents and children in protection proceedings
- The research includes participant observation of current hearings conducted by Child and Adult Protection Authorities (CAPA)
- Information exchange and mutual recognition between authorities and families are shown to be important factors in child protection proceedings
Limitations
This is a historical and institutional analysis with participant observation of hearings; it does not evaluate the effectiveness of child protection outcomes or measure children's well-being before and after interventions. The document focuses on procedural aspects rather than the impact on child welfare or safety.
Abstract
As in other European countries, the Swiss child protection system has gone through substantial changes in the course of the 20th century up to today. Increasingly, the needs as well as the participation of children and parents affected by child protection interventions have become a central concern. In Switzerland, critical debates around care-related detention of children and adults until 1981 have led to the launch of the National Research Program ‘Welfare and Coercion—Past, Present and Future’ (NRP 76), with the aim of understanding past and current welfare practices. This paper is based on our research project, which is part of this national program. We first discuss three overarching concepts—integrity, autonomy and participation—at the heart of a theoretical framework in order to understand the position of parents and children in child protection proceedings. Secondly, we critically analyze the historical and legal development of the child protection system in Switzerland and its effects on children and parents from 1912 until today. Thirdly, we give an insight into the current Swiss child protection system, with an investigation of hearings of parents and children conducted by the Child and Adult Protection Authorities (CAPA) based on participant observations. In particular, we show the importance of information exchanges and of signs of mutual recognition. Finally, in light of our findings, we discuss the interplay between socio-historical and legal developments in child protection and their consequences for the integrity, autonomy and participation of the people involved.