What Does the Ombuds Office Do?
- Individual Assistance:
The Ombuds Office supports children and adolescents in challenging situations such as divorces, out-of-home placements, or legal proceedings. It offers advice, mediates, and develops child-friendly solutions in collaboration with experts. - Advice and Public Awareness:
Beyond direct assistance, the Ombuds Office advises professionals in the legal system and ensures that children’s rights and procedural rights are consistently applied. It also focuses on raising public awareness to sustainably strengthen children’s rights in Switzerland. - Reporting to Federal and Cantonal Authorities:
Each year, the Ombuds Office reports on its work and provides recommendations to improve the political framework for children’s rights.
Impact Analysis: The Importance of the Ombuds Office
The current impact analysis vividly demonstrates the difference the Ombuds Office makes:
- Reducing Suffering: By providing support in difficult legal and social situations, the Ombuds Office helps alleviate the suffering of children.
- Relieving Support Networks: Parents, teachers, and other caregivers benefit from mediation and advice that can defuse conflicts and highlight solutions.
- Preventing Societal Costs: Through preventive counselling and mediation, the Ombuds Office helps avoid long-term costs in health, social, and education sectors.
One particularly impressive finding is the economic benefit: supporting just six children per year offsets the annual investment in the Ombuds Office (1 million Swiss francs). This represents only 2% of the more than 360 children and adolescents supported in 2023.
Funding Through Donations
As a private organisation, the Swiss Children’s Rights Ombuds Office relies heavily on donations. This funding enables it to support children and adolescents as a model initiative – until a national, publicly funded Ombuds Office assumes this vital responsibility.
If you would like to help strengthen the critical cause of children’s rights, you can learn more about the work and goals of the Ombuds Office here: