Mariana was born in Venezuela and grew up without knowing her father. At the age of six, she lost her mother in a violent crime. Despite being placed under the guardianship of her aunt, she lived with her uncle and great-grandmother, with whom she maintained a close relationship. However, the aunt decided one day to move to Switzerland, her partner’s country, and take Mariana with her, in the hope of offering her a better life.
There, she became a victim of domestic violence and was removed from her aunt’s care by the Swiss Child Protection Authority. To assess her best interests, the latter requested assistance from ISS Switzerland Service social international – Suisse (SSI). ISS Switzerland reached out to the ISS partner in Venezuela, who did an assessment of the living conditions of Marian’s uncle and great-grandmother. Based on their report, authorities decided Mariana should return to her familiar environment, and ISS facilitated the transfer of guardianship to her uncle.
In 2023, ISS published a reference document entitled “Equity in Permanency” outlining principles of child protection practice that prioritise the exploration of family placements, without discrimination of any kind, to achieve optimal long-term outcomes for the child. The principles seek to empower child protection partners globally to have a childrights approach and promote policies and protocols that ensure all family placement options are explored, even across borders.
Interested in Equity in Permanency? Download the ISS paper here.
Source: ISS Switzerland article for “Actualité Sociale”, the magazine of the Swiss Professional Association for Social Work. If you distribute the article further, please mention that it has been edited for this magazine.
