Our mission at the Institute for Integration and Participation is to promote participation in social assets, values, and basic human rights.
Our work focuses on individuals whose social disadvantages restrict their power of self-determination. Our five thematic focuses explore and analyse how social work interventions can support disadvantaged individuals with improving their difficult life-situations and how social participation can be enabled to benefit those in need. We reveal those interconnections, underlying conditions, and solutions that help mitigate or avoid difficult situations.
This focus explores and analyses the individual and socially determined life-situations of the elderly from the perspective of social work. Our work in this area is dedicated to safeguarding and to promoting independence and self-management, and to opening up and activating various of capital, resources, and competencies. Other key concerns include strengthening family and social networks, preventing social exclusion, promoting social participation, and expanding the restricted scopes of action for the elderly.
Our work in this area concentrates on the aspects relevant to accompanying and supporting individuals in coping with structural, individual, and social impairments. We provide tailored services for setting up and operating effective disability assistance. Our work is guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It thus strives to implement measures capable of promoting social participation and self-determination.
Unemployment has incisive biographical and social impacts. Our work in this area explores ways of accessing gainful employment, maintaining employment (e.g. in case of accident or illness), and coping with the effects of unemployment. Key issues include 'integration management,' 'work, mobility, and migration,' 'labour-market integration and social security.'
This focus describes and analyses the life-situations of individuals living with HIV. It also explores the conditions and contexts that can help prevent HIV infection. Our work thus builds an important foundation for HIV prevention practices and for promoting the social participation of individuals suffering from HIV. We are dedicated to application-oriented research and development designed to have practical impacts.
Our work in this area explores migration and its contexts from various angles. We focus on the opportunities available to migrants for gaining access to society and thus to ensuring their participation in society. We also research social inequality, exclusion, and the conditions compounding social participation.
Social work is situated in a legal context. It therefore deals with the claims and rights but also with the duties and obligations of clients. Social insurance law, welfare legislation, victim support law, and social intervention law are the key aspects of social law confronting social workers in their numerous action fields. The complexity of social law requires extensive specialist knowledge, which is taught at the FHNW School of Social Work.
The FHNW School of Social Work attaches great importance to research and development. The Institute for Integration and Participation undertakes commissioned and self-initiated research and development projects in the following areas:
Evaluation of HIV prevention programmes
Ageing workforce
Integration management
Barrier-free Internet access
Life-situations of migrants
Foster care
Analysis of models of cooperation (e.g. disability insurance and employers)
Care arrangements in migrant families
Assessing the housing needs of persons with physical disabilities
Strategic initiative 'Ageing Society'
The Institute for Integration and Participation provides the following services:
Evaluation of new social work approaches and measures
Analyses of the guidelines underpinning mission statements, concepts, and measures in the area of integration
Specialised consultancy for disability assistance professionals and organisations in Switzerland
Concept development
Accompanying the development of sustainable living environments
Crisis intervention
Support with difficult circumstances
De-escalation counselling in systems involving individuals with challenging behaviour
Contact us! — Our priority is to tailor projects to your specific needs. We take the greatest care to establish your needs, in order to help you achieve your objectives.
Prof. Dr. Sibylle Nideröst, Head of Institute