When children and young people experience domestic or sexualized violence, it has a massive impact on their development. The FHNW is now offering a CAS program on this subject. It imparts practical knowledge and provides professionals with guidance on how to professionally assess risk and provide support.
The University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) has developed a new CAS on “Child protection in cases of domestic and sexualized violence” for 2026. At the same time, corresponding further education modules have been launched. Aline Schoch, lic. phil. and Dr. Brigitte Müller, CAS program director and research associate at the Institute for Child and Youth Welfare at the FHNW School of Social Work, explain in an interview why the new continuing education program is needed.
What were the motivations behind the realization of the new CAS?
In projects with practitioners, we have found that the suspicion that a child has experienced or witnessed sexualized or domestic violence often causes great uncertainty among professionals. In addition, assessing the risk and choosing suitable help or interventions places high professional demands on professionals. We would like to provide professionals who are confronted with these challenges with more guidance, confidence and knowledge. This will enable them to organize these demanding assessment and help processes in such a way that the children and young people concerned receive the best possible support.
What did you place particular emphasis on when designing the modules?
It was important to us to provide course participants with both research-based and practice-relevant, up-to-date specialist knowledge and methodological skills that they can apply and implement in their day-to-day work. Therefore, when designing the modules and selecting the lecturers, we made sure that we were able to recruit specialists with proven practical experience in the field and relevant skills.
Who is the offer aimed at?
The CAS and the continuing education modules (specialist seminars) are aimed at professionals working in child protection who wish to acquire in-depth knowledge and skills in the areas of domestic and sexualized violence. These may be specialists from social services who are responsible for investigations and the management of mandates ordered by the child and adult protection authorities. In addition, professionals who work in child and adult protection authorities themselves, but also school social workers or professionals from outpatient and inpatient educational support services.
Where do you see the greatest need for action in child protection in cases of domestic and sexualized violence?
On the one hand, this means that professionals and organizations gain more confidence in dealing with these complex and difficult to grasp forms of risk. On the other hand, that we can also keep pace with current developments and better protect and support children and young people. This includes strengthening organizational developments such as protection concepts or supervisory activities as well as making help and support for those affected more accessible and effective.
In 2025, significantly more cases were reported by various institutions. In other words, significantly more children were affected. How do you explain this development?
This is an important question, but one that is not so easy to answer. For one thing, the statistical data on this varies greatly. This means that different things are measured, or data is missing altogether, for example on how many children are placed outside the family. Secondly, the available data does not allow any or hardly any statements to be made about the background. It is important to mention that the figures only reflect the so-called bright field, i.e. cases that are discovered in the children’s hospital, recorded in the police crime statistics or reported to victim support. We know less about the dark field.
But what could be behind the increase?
We can imagine that there has been greater awareness among both the general public and professionals in recent years. In addition, awareness of the harmfulness of less visible forms of violence, such as psychological or sexualized violence, may have grown. The amendment to the Swiss Civil Code, which comes into force in July and obliges parents to raise their children without violence, as well as several initiatives on domestic violence discussed in the current parliamentary session, also show that the topic is being discussed more widely throughout society. At the same time, phenomena such as cybergrooming or the persistently high psychological strain on parents following the pandemic and the increase in family and child poverty could lead to an actual increase in the number of cases.
What child protection topics is the Institute for Child and Youth Welfare currently researching?
In the past, we have worked intensively on child welfare assessments and the participation of children and parents in child protection proceedings. We have just started a research project that examines how children and young people experience the support they receive in cases of sexualized online violence(more information on this in this interview). This year, we are investigating for the Federal Commission for Children and Youth how support services for “parenting without violence” should be designed so that families make use of them. We also regularly support cantons and cantonal authorities, for example in the further development or analysis of their child protection services. We try to further improve the quality of child protection with our practical training courses such as specialist conferences, CAS programs and specialist seminars.
Individual modules of the “CAS Child Protection in Domestic and Sexualized Violence” are available as specialist seminars. They can be attended individually as one- or two-day courses. You can find an overview of these on the FHNW’s CAS homepage under the “Structure” section: https://www.fhnw.ch/de/weiterbildung/soziale-arbeit/9775052
Discover exciting insights and further articles in our blog.
Children and young people are becoming more frequent victims of violence, as shown by the case numbers of victim support services. Kristin Busch and her child and youth counseling team support those affected and advise professionals. She also knows what additional services need to be created so that young people can grow up in a stable environment.
Children and young people are becoming more frequent victims of violence, as shown by the case numbers of victim support services. Kristin Busch and her child and youth counseling team support those affected and advise professionals. She also knows what additional services need to be created so that young people can grow up in a stable environment.
When children and young people experience domestic or sexualized violence, it has a massive impact on their development. The FHNW is now offering a CAS program on this subject. It imparts practical knowledge and provides professionals with guidance on how to professionally assess risk and provide support.
At night and at weekends, the number is operated by Dargebotene Hand beider Basel.
The Dargebotene Hand provides basic counseling and, if necessary, refers the victim to the day service for counseling.
Victim Support beider Basel is available 24/7
Tel: +41 61 205 09 10
