National Preventive Mechanism protection of the adolescents. The competent authority for child and youth welfare and protection and the operator of the facility have since agreed that attempts will be made to proceed less severely in the future. They reported that it was now possible to enter the room without using a source of light and night patrols were only carried out in apartments where it was deemed necessary. Closure of a large residential home in Upper Austria In a large residential home with connected workshop and school in Linz, as early as 2012 Commission 2 criticised above all the insufficient personnel and the pedagogical interventions that were unsuitable for children as a violation of human rights. As a result, a comprehensive monitoring in cooperation with the technical supervision and the NPM was carried out, which resulted in 64 recommendations. These turned out to be unfeasible. In spring 2016 the Land Upper Austria decided to close the major facility and to divide it into smaller residential units. Offering residential groups, workshops and a school in one closed system is outdated according to current pedagogical theory. The decision to divide the major facility was welcomed by the NPM for this reason. But the NPM also emphasised the necessity to involve all adolescents in the decision process regarding their future place of residence in a participative manner. PRN medication change in thinking noticeable Gradually, there appears to be greater problem awareness in relation to the administering of prescription medication by pedagogues. The NPM had criticised the common practice in socio-pedagogical facilities that personnel without medical qualifications perform tasks requiring the relevant medical expertise. If the parameters for the necessity and the dosage are not clearly explained in the prescriptions – which was often the case in the prescriptions examined by the commissions – the pedagogical personnel decides whether the necessity is given. The Land Lower Austria responded to the criticism by the NPM with instructions to the facilities that pedagogical personnel are not allowed to administer PRN medication. The Land Upper Austria sent the information out to all operators that the administration of all medication must be documented completely and traceably, and that doctors must be requested to give concrete instructions and prescriptions regarding the necessity for PRN medication. However, the commissions continue to identify a wide range of shortcomings in handling of medication. For this reason, the NPM considers it necessary to introduce compulsory training for pedagogical personnel. The NPM has already addressed several Laender with this suggestion where warranted. A query was also directed to the Federal Ministry of Family and Youth, which confirmed that there is problem awareness regarding administering medication to children and adolescents by professional personnel in sociopedagogical facilities. Besides, there will be an exchange of information on this topic at the next general meeting of the Child and Youth Welfare Association (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe). 140