According to Austria’s Federal Ministry of Family and Youth (BMJF), the services of children and youth support contribute to strengthening the children’s rights to being supported in their development and upbringing to become autonomous and social functioning personalities; protecting them from all forms of violence; and enhancing the impact of the family’s upbringing. Professionals acting in the field of child protection are always required to particularly adhere to legal, ethical, and methodological aspects.

Fanatic or strongly ideologized family members or connections are a particular challenge in this context. Research demonstrates the high relevance of the family environment for later radicalisation. Ideologically based forms of upbringing can include violence as well as practices that endanger a child’s well-being, such as isolation, disciplining, and fear.

At the same time, studies show that practitioners report feelings of insecurity towards people who have right-wing attitudes – when it comes to dialogue techniques and action plans as much as with regard to their own safety. The planned project aims to explore and systematize experiences that practitioners make with clients in a broader sense whom they perceive as “right-wing” in order to make them visible and potentially identify “typical” challenges and best practices.