Wednesday, 11th of July
After a busy and late night at Rhein Falls we were able to sleep in on Wednesday. Starting off at 1000 Tessa and Sandra started a presentation about the child welfare systems in Switzerland and the United States. There are quite a few differences between the two countries. For starters, Switzerland is oriented towards keeping families together. But a lot of the time in the United States a child will be removed from the home instead of keeping the child with their parents. Switzerland also rarely takes rights away from parents while the United States strips parents of their rights more frequently.
In the afternoon we had the privilege of visiting a child and adult protection agency. A lawyer who was employed by the agency was able to give us a tour of the facility, inform us of what they do, break down the process if how a report is filed and handled, and how their staff is organized. Switzerland's child and adult protection agency, also known as KESB, is one entity. But in the United States child protection services and adult protection services are two separate agencies. We finished the day off with some ice cream provided by Doug and Sarah.