Overview of the National Preventive Mechanism event already concentrated on focal questions regarding the tasks of the NPM such as generating reports and issuing recommendations. Experts from the NPM took part in different NPM Forum meetings. Observations and findings by the NPM in relation to arrests and the detention of immigrants and the comparability of applicable monitoring standards were discussed. Two meetings are planned with the close involvement of the Austrian NPM in 2018 to address the topics of geriatric care and the setting up of a database for detention conditions. The Austrian NPM has been a member of the South-East Europe NPM Network (SEE NPM Network) since October 2013 and actively supports the exchange of experience with NPM institutions from South-Eastern Europe. Experts took part in an SEE NPM Network meeting in Belgrade in May. The main objective of the meeting was to identify deficiencies in dealing with particularly vulnerable groups of persons and to develop good practice recommendations. Observers from the APT (Association for the Prevention of Torture), CPT (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment) and SPT (Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture) took an active part in discussions with the participants. There was agreement on the importance of considering the care needs of these vulnerable groups of persons. A second SEE NPM Network meeting in Podgorica in the middle of the year addressed the issues of health care in prisons and psychiatric facilities. SEE Network meetings in Belgrade and Podgorica At a further meeting in Belgrade in December 2017, the methodology used by NPMs in its monitoring and control activities was the focus. The NPM Montenegro will take over the chair of the SEE NPM Network in 2018. The Austrian NPM will head the working group for legal matters. In autumn 2017, a very successful training programme was organised in Vienna in which 29 staff members from ombudsman institutions from 21 countries took part – predominantly from Europe but also from Africa and the Pacific region – in order to learn communication techniques and to improve interviewing skills. Observers from the SPT and APT contributed to the learning curve and the success of the programme with their expertise. The innovative approach is orientated on the principle of “do no harm”. The practical exercises were not performed on real patients but by interacting with trained actors who portrayed the symptoms of illnesses in their roles and reacted accordingly in the interview situation. They were then able to explain how they experienced the interview from the perspective of the affected person in ensuing feedback meetings. This helped the participants to practise, analyse and improve their communication techniques. The participants were able to follow the visit of two members of the commissions per livestream in Training for improving interviewing techniques 19