Good Child Protection Procedures

E-Learning, Child Protection, Child friendly Justice

Prof. Dr. Eva Schumann, Faculty of Law Göttingen, Chair of German Legal History and Civil Law, Göttingen

Prof. Dr. Heinz Kindler, German Youth Institute (DJI), Munich

Dr. Thomas Meysen, SOCLES International Center for Socio-Legal Studies, Heidelberg

1 June 2019 to 30 September 2023

Background

Child protection procedures include decisions that influence the future lives of children and their families. In deciding the verdict, family judges are reliant on the assistance and expertise of social services, Guardians Ad Litem and authorized experts. Parents are in need of an attorney. Occasionally, other specialized personnel as well as health care professionals must act as expert witnesses in child court proceedings. More recently, the critical analysis of nationally known cases of child abuse, such as the so-called Staufen case, has shown the high demands that must be met by family court proceedings and those involved. Furthermore, debates about the need for professional training and education for judges are increasing.

Aim of the project and target group

The aim of the project was to develop an interdisciplinary web-based training program concerning family court proceedings on the protection of children as well as a child-friendly justice system. Target groups were family court judges and professionals from social services in youth welfare offices. In addition, the training also addressed Guardians Ad Litem, psychologist as well as child and adolescent psychiatrists, specialized lawyers for family law and professionals working in the field of early intervention (e.g. specialized counselling centres, home visitation services).

An online training program was developed that trained professionals involved in family court proceedings on the relevant aspects of the assessment, the procedure and decision-making process. At the same time, interdisciplinary workshops were held in selected regions and court districts. For the participants at the on-site training, an additional module was developed in the online training on the preparation of an “expert opinion on the assessment of the risk of harm to the child” as described in the current coalition agreement.

Selected regions and court districts

Court districts and regions that were interested in the on-site training were able to apply during the summer months of 2020. The selected areas were:

Accompanying research

In a concurrent research design, the online course was continuously evaluated and subsequently revised. The conferences at the selected regions and court districts were also assessed. In total, 1.439 individuals successfully completed the online course during the project period. The evaluation revealed a high satisfaction level among graduates with the learning platform, as well as the quality and relevance of the learning materials. Participating professional groups reported a subjective increase in knowledge and competence. Furthermore, the e-learning method was considered a suitable form of further education on this subject. Participants indicated that the time invested in the online course was worthwhile. Thus, the effectiveness of the online course in terms of acquiring knowledge and skills, the practical relevance of the learning content, and the dissemination of content into professional practice was demonstrated.

Upon the project's conclusion, there exists a high-quality and scientifically evaluated continuing education offering for all professionals to acquire foundational knowledge and skills in the interdisciplinary child protection field.

Participation in the program

Participation in the online course "Effective Child Protection Procedures" will be available for a participation fee starting from February 2024 through the Saarland Child Protection Platform (https://kinderschutz-im-saarland.de/).

guteverfahren[at]elearning-kinderschutz.de

Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)