JAEL

Residential (youth) care, transition, psychopathology, trauma, youth delinquency, E-Learning

Dr. Marc Schmid

Senior Psychologist Research, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

University Psychiatric Clinic Basel

Prof. Dr. Jörg M. Fegert

Medical Director of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy

University Hospital Ulm

01.10.2016 – 31.03.2024

In Switzerland 1% of all children, adolescents and emerging adults live in residential (youth) care. A large part of these young people is need for pedagogical support in various aspects of life and has usually a history of outpatient and inpatient care.

From 2007 until 2012 nearly 600 adolescents from more than 60 different socio-pedagogical institutions in various regions of Switzerland were examined within the model-test research project “MAZ - model experiment clarification and target achievement” („Modellversuch Abklärung und Zielerreichung“, www.jael-portal.ch/de/maz_de/). The results showed that the psychosocial stress levels of the children and adolescents were clearly above average.

Within the follow-up project JAEL these adolescents are now to be examined again. The study aims at finding out, which factors have a positive impact on the effect of inpatient socio-pedagogical measures and the transition into independence and which have a negative one. The positive and negative factors identified are translated into learning materials and made available in an online course. The course is designed to train professionals who work with children and adolescents in an inpatient context. It aims at communicating what professionals have to consider when planning support for adolescents showing risk factors and how factors that have a positive impact can be promoted.  

Description of the Project

In recent years these now young adults were again about their current life situation reassessed. The study design makes it possible to describe the long-term developmental pathways of their transition from adolescents into yount adulthood as well as to gain insight into how these young adults retrospecively experienced their out-of-home placement. The findings of JAEL are now processed in an E-Learning Program. This program should enable practicioners to gain more self-confidence in dealing with risk and protection factors in ordert o attain a positive development of children, adolescents and young adults in residential care. The team of child and adolescent psychiatry of the University Hospital Ulm will externally evaluate this E-Learning Program.

The E-Learning Program is currently in development. The first prototype has been extensively tested since March 2021. After revisions, a pilot will take place in the German-speaking part of Switzerland from March 2022. Additional pilots are planned in the French and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland from April 2023. The final E-Learning Program will then be finalised and is expected to go online early 2024.

Overall Projekt:

cyril.boonmann@upkbs.ch

E-Learning:

raphaela.reinhold@uniklinik-ulm.de

Swiss Federal Office of Justice