Wirkungsanalyse in der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe zur Identifikation von Schlüsselindikatoren

: am Beispiel von Projekten des Vereins X

Abstract

Social organizations in the field of child and youth welfare are increasingly facing pressure to legitimize their work, especially when their funding relies on external financial support. This is also the case for Verein X – a specialized institution dedicated to the care of children and adolescents with challenging behavior – where the need to demonstrate impact and use resources in a targeted and efficient manner is becoming more and more evident. This thesis focuses on the development of a socio-economic impact model for evaluating projects in the field of child and youth welfare. Using two case studies as examples, key indicators are identified along impact chains. The research is based on comprehensive literature analysis, a stakeholder analysis, qualitative interviews, and document review. The findings show that intensive one-on-one support provided by qualified professionals in a structured, relationship-oriented setting can lead to significant improvements in selfregulation, everyday life skills, educational and vocational integration, as well as psychosocial stabilization. Based on the two case trajectories, concrete impact chains were developed for key stakeholder groups (the organization, caregivers, clients, families and close contacts, public authorities, and policymakers). These make the links between the resources used, the specific measures taken, and the long-term societal effects transparent and comprehensible. The study clearly illustrates that challenging behavior in the children and adolescents receiving care should not be interpreted as individual misconduct, but rather as a result of deep-seated trauma and structural shortcomings in the support system. The failure of conventional care arrangements is therefore often not rooted in the child, but in insufficiently individualized or structurally inadequate frameworks. The thesis emphasizes the importance of a systematic impact model to make observable changes visible and to derive structural requirements for sustainable, individualized care.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Renate Sabine Kränzl-Nagl (Supervisor)