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Ready and able? Professional awareness and responses to young carers in Switzerland
- Authors:
- FRECH Marianne, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 126, 2021, p.106027.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Background: The situation of children, adolescents, young adults with caring responsibilities and their families has only recently been addressed in the Swiss context. Initial findings show a low level of awareness among professionals towards young people with caring responsibilities, and also a lack of specific support services nationally for young carers. This might suggest that the support needs of young carers and young adult carers are not currently being recognised or met in Switzerland. Aim: The purpose of this analysis was to explore to what degree young carers' needs for support are currently met by professionals. We evaluated how professionals in Switzerland currently support young carers in their occupational context; what kind of organisations they refer young carers to; and if the current support approaches meet international recommendations (drawn from research and policy in other countries). Methods: Data from a cross-sectional online survey completed by 2142 professionals from education, healthcare and social services in Switzerland were analysed. The data included respondents’ demographics, professional background, awareness of young carers’ situations and circumstances, ability to support young carers, referrals to other organisations, as well as approaches to support young carers. We conducted text analysis of the open-ended answers according to Kuckartz (2014) as well as descriptive statistical analysis and Chi-Square independence tests. Results: Just over half (55.8%) of the professionals in our study reported being able to support young carers. Five different categories of support interventions were identified: counselling; connecting with others; emotional support; including the family/network; and providing practical skills & illness-related knowledge. Professionals who reported that they themselves had a caring role when they were young were more likely to be able to support young carers (p < .001). Professionals familiar with the term ‘young carers’ more often mentioned systemic support approaches (such as family-centred procedures and coordination/interdisciplinary cooperation) than those who were not familiar with the term. Conclusion: Study results show that many professionals in Switzerland address relevant realms and specific challenges for young people with caring responsibilities without being familiar with the experiences or needs of young carers. How they support young carers and young adult carers, perhaps surprisingly given their lack of awareness and specific knowledge, correspond with the main approaches currently found in the international literature recommendations for professionals working with young carers. The fact that systemic approaches of support were less often described, especially by professionals unfamiliar with the term ‘young carer’, raises the question whether appropriate sustainable and long-term support can be provided without having a clear understanding of the concept, experiences and specific needs of young carers. The study results provide a national starting point to develop support provisions and interventions for young carers. The results also offer relevant data for policy recommendations. (Edited publisher abstract)
Less effort in worsening child protection cases? The time-course of intensity of services
- Authors:
- JUD A., PERRIG-CHIELLO P., VOLL P.
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 33(10), October 2011, pp.2027-2033.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
For interventions in child protection to be judged appropriate, they must seem promising with respect to obtaining the desired outcomes given the available resources. In the event of unfavourable outcomes, professionals may become hesitant about interventions and eventually reduce service intensity. This article explores variation in the intensity of service responses in worsening child protection cases. The study analysed a sample of 148 child protection case files opened between 1993 and 2002 in 4 different regions of Switzerland. Using the authority files and child protection files, the intensity of services in worsening cases was compared to intensity of services in cases where child or family functioning improved. The results indicated that the intensity of services in worsening cases declined over time and was significantly below the intensity level in improved cases. Unexpectedly, the intensity of services was already lower at the beginning of service provision in cases later classified as worsening. This finding could both be associated with an instance of self-fulfilling prophecy or with the effects of creaming.
GPs' role in the detection of psychological problems of young people: a population-based study
- Authors:
- MAUERHOFER Aurelie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of General Practice, 59(566), September 2009, pp.660-664.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of General Practitioners
Among young people, about one in three females and one in five males report experiencing emotional distress but 65-95% of them do not receive help from health professionals. This study assesses the differences among young people who seek help and those who do not seek help for their psychological problems, considering the frequency of consultations to their GP and their social resources. Among a Swiss national representative sample of 7,429 students and apprentices (45.6% females) aged 16-20 years, 1,931 young people reported needing help for a problem of depression/sadness (26%) and were included in the study. They were divided into those who sought help (n = 256) and those who did not (n = 1675), and differences between them were assessed. Results found only 13% of young people needing help for psychological problems consulted for that reason and this rate was positively associated with the frequency of consultations to the GP. However, 80% of young people who did not consult for psychological problems visited their GP at least once during the previous year. Being older or a student, having a higher depression score, or a history of suicide attempt were linked with a higher rate of help seeking. Moreover, confiding in adults positively influenced the rate of help seeking.
Does online counselling provide better access to victim services? Insights and reflections from a swiss pilot evaluation
- Authors:
- GLOOR Daniela, MEIER Hanna
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gender-Based Violence, 4(1), 2020, pp.123-131.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
Counselling and support for victims of gender-based violence constitute a vital component of today’s established prevention and intervention work. Nevertheless, a crucial question is, who is actually reached by different types of counselling? Or, in other words: how to ensure access and quality counselling for as many and as different people as possible? In this context interest in web-based counselling forms, online counselling, has recently grown. This article looks at the current discussion on opportunities and limits of online counselling in the case of domestic violence. This paper present findings from an evaluation which examined the experiences of a pilot project that was developed and implemented by an established counselling centre for women in Zurich, Switzerland. Empirical findings suggest that there is a demand for this new counselling form which offers its own distinct qualities and has the potential to reach further target groups. (Edited publisher abstract)
Democratization of ageing: also a reality for elderly immigrants?
- Author:
- BOLZMAN Claudio
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 2012, pp.97-113.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Various papers published in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe have highlighted an improvement in the living conditions of people reaching retirement age. The aim of this paper is to examine whether this general trend to old age democratisation applies also to elderly immigrants. Specifically, it explores the socioeconomic and health situation of the older immigrant population in Switzerland, as well as their access to social security and to social services for elderly people. It reports selected findings from 2 original surveys carried in Switzerland in the 1990s (Pre-Retired Immigrants study, PRI) and the 2000s (Minority Elderly Care study, MEC) on older Italian, Spanish and former Yugoslavians citizens who are residents in the country. The findings show that elderly immigrants are overrepresented among the poor and the sick. Officially, most foreign elders have the same right to social security as Swiss elders. However, because of their shorter residence in Switzerland and lower wages, their pensions and occupational benefits are lower. Moreover, they are not always entitled to supplementary benefits because they have not resided long enough in Switzerland. Even when they are entitled to them, they may be hesitant to ask for fear of losing their residence permit.
The provision of psychotherapy: an international comparison
- Authors:
- PRIEBE Stefan, WRIGHT Donna
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Public Mental Health, 5(3), September 2006, pp.12-22.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
There has been a recent initiative in England to establish a wider provision of psychotherapy. Studying the models of psychological treatment and experiences in other countries may enable policy makers in England to learn lessons ad avoid pitfalls. This paper assesses and compares the provision of psychotherapy for adults in a selected number of European and non-European countries. A structured list of psychotherapy features was used to collect information from each country on the number of psychotherapists, professional qualifications, the settings and models of psychotherapy, the referral procedures, funding arrangement, quality management and outcome assessments. These data were then compared in a non-systematic way. The findings suggest that psychotherapy that is broadly free at the point of entry is more widely available in other EU countries than in England. They also show that the plans currently being discussed for a psychotherapy service in England differ from those provided in most of the other countries in this study. The difference include the lack of statutory accreditation rules and lower qualification thresholds for psychotherapists, the concept of treatment centres, the low number of sessions, and the regular assessment of outcome data.