Child and youth welfare facilities In most cases, such a concept is only developed after boundary violations have taken place. The NPM expressly recommended all of the Laender in recent years to look at the implementation of a sex education concept as a mandatory condition for granting permits to facilities. This is already the case in Vienna. Lower Austria and Tyrol reacted to this demand and now already prescribe pertinent concepts for every new residential group as well as for the reorientation and restructuring of existing facilities. A deadline has been set for the implementation of a sex education concept in existing facilities. In Upper Austria, a conceptual framework for sex education applicable to all owners and/or operators and for use in all socio-pedagogical facilities was developed. In addition to this a training course on the topic of sex education was initiated by the University of Applied Sciences. Sex education concepts as a pre-requisite XX  Violence prevention and sex education concepts should be a condition for granting permits for socio-pedagogical facilities in all Laender. XX  The implementation of these concepts must be monitored by the technical supervision of the Laender. XX  Recurring mandatory advanced training of the staff on the topic of sex education is necessary in all facilities. 2.3.3 Handling of rule violations out of date On their visits, the commissions repeatedly come up against a problematic way of dealing with sanctions. The principal task of socio-pedagogical and sociotherapeutic facilities is to create healing conditions for young persons who are disadvantaged in their development in order to support them professionally and encourage them. Children and adolescents should experience acceptance and recognition as a person, as well as stability, safety and a calculable environment. They have to feel understood and sheltered. Problematic handling of rule violations The commissions report about punitive measures that bear all the signs of inhuman and degrading treatment pursuant to Article 3 ECHR. A caregiver, for example, suggested to an adolescent who had scratched himself that he rub salt in the wound in order to change his behaviour. After that failed to bring about the desired reaction, the pedagogue informed him that the effect could be strengthened by water so that he could really “feel” what he had done. Practices that border on sadism must be strictly rejected when dealing with self-harming behaviour. Cases of degrading, inhuman treatment In December 2017 serious allegations by former residents and a social pedagogue became public. They concerned two shared accommodations run 67