National Preventive Mechanism Praise is due to Upper Austria, which has reacted to this situation and has limited the number of children and adolescents from other Laender or from other countries in socio-pedagogical facilities at 15% of all children and adolescents under care. Other Laender should follow this example. ¾¾ Laender must fulfil their care responsibilities themselves. ¾¾ Placement of minors should be in close proximity to the parents’ residence unless this is inadvisable for pedagogical reasons. ¾¾ Limitation of the total number of children and juveniles under care in another Land than their Land of origin. 2.3.3 Structures in homes hamper pedagogical work Serious deficits Commission 5 carried out two unannounced visits in 2013 to a regional youth home in Lower Austria with five fully residential shared accommodations and one partially residential shared accommodation. The staff was observed to be committed and making an effort, but also completely overwhelmed. A review of the documentation both in the home and at the local police station showed that an above average number of violent acts against minors and staff was occurring here. Police intervention was frequently necessary. While “New Authority”, the pedagogical concept on the prevention of violence by Haim Omer had been installed, the de-escalation strategy that is part of this concept had not yet been implemented. Due to current crises, there had been neither time nor resources to undertake targeted pedagogical interventions and to respond to the children and adolescents in a supportive and stabilising way. Commission 5 put this down to the size of the facility on one hand and on the other, to inadequate staff presence and training deficits. Furthermore, the commission criticised that a “house parliament” had not been established. During the investigative proceeding, the regional government of Lower Austria confirmed that the regional youth home had been in a crisis at the time of the commission’s visits and that this had been a known fact. Previous reports by persons carrying out technical supervision and the criticism of the NPM were taken as an opportunity by the AOB to carry out an investigation and to include all competent persons and participants. The technical supervision report of August 2014 shows that improvements have been made, but that structural difficulties also exist. It will result in structural measures that will extend beyond 2015. w 114