E-Learning Course: Early Help and early Intervention for Child Protection

Child Protection, Early Help, Prevention, Interdisciplinarity, E-Learning

10/2013–12/2017

In recent years, there have been numerous professional and political initiatives at a federal, state and municipal level to expand the range of early help services and to establish new programs. Within these initiatives, the e-learning course "Early Help and Preventive Intervention for Child Protection", funded by the former Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Family, Women and Senior Citizens Baden-Württemberg (now Ministry for Social Affairs and Integration), was developed between April 2009 and June 2011. The course addresses the problem of the so far lacking but necessary systematic initial and advanced training in early help approaches. The course transfers interdisciplinary knowledge and comprehensive skills in the field of early intervention and child protection and is aimed at experts in youth welfare, health care, early-learning initiatives, pregnancy counseling, family courts as well as anyone working with infants and small children.

The aim of the project "Early Help and early Intervention for Child Protection" is to promote and comprehensively evaluate the web-based learning offer and to develop a concept for the sustainable establishment of the course.

Description of the Project

The e-learning course "Early Help and Preventive Intervention for Child Protection" as well as the accompanying online platform was launched in June 2011 and has since then been visited continuously by social workers, psychologists, gynaecologists, midwives, paediatricians, family judges and others. More than 8,760 people are currently registered for certified training, 1,225 users have already successfully completed the course (as of October 2017). Since October 2014, all newly registered participants have been interviewed in a pre-post design with regard to learning effect, practical benefits and satisfaction with the e-learning course (as of October 2017 4,812 new registrations since 2014).

• Weber, J., Ziegenhain, U., Fegert, J. M., Haegele, A., Kuenster, A. K. (2012). Evaluation des E-Learning-Fortbildungskurses „Frühe Hilfen und Frühe Interventionen im Kinderschutz“. Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie, 10, 750 – 765.

  2013: Forum Kriminalprävention: Zeitschrift der Stiftung Deutsches Forum für Kriminalprävention: Digitale Gesellschaft: Risiken und Prävention. Sexueller Missbrauch und Prävention, Interview mit Frau Prof. Dr. Ziegenhain.

  2014: Private Wealth: Vermögen, Wohlstand, Werte. Frühzeitig helfen. Interview mit Herr Prof. Dr. Fegert und Frau Dr. Anne Katrin Künster.

  2014: Ziegenhain, U., Künster, A.K.: Schweizerischer Hebammenverband: Elterliche Feinfühligkeit und kindliche Entwicklung – die Skala elterlicher Feinfühligkeit als Praxistool zur Beratung junger Eltern.

  2014: Ziegenhain, U., Künster, A.K.: Abschlussbericht: „Entwicklung und Koordinierung Früher Hilfen in Braunschweig“.

  Bressem, K., Ziegenhain, U., Doelitzsch, C., Hofer, A., Besier, T., Fegert, J.M. & Kuenster, A.K. (2016). A German e-learning-training in the context of early preventive intervention and child protection: preliminary findings of a pre-post evaluation. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health, 10 (25). DOI: 10.1186/s13034-016-0113-8