National Preventive Mechanism 5.3.2 Monitoring priority: prevention of sexual and all other forms of violence Follow-up training on concept content The commissions repeatedly find very good concepts focussing on violence prevention in the facilities. However, the staff are often not aware of these. Upon enquiry by the NPM in a facility in Upper Austria, it was agreed that all of the staff has to read and sign the prevention concept when they are hired. It was promised that the personnel would receive the relevant information again to freshen their level of knowledge. There was also follow-up training on the contents of the concept in a shared accommodation facility in Vienna. However, the commissions still report that many facilities have no sex education concept. The importance of this is thus emphasised on visits. The joint definition of standards is designed to increase the personnel’s sensitivity to the topic. Social pedagogues should be instructed to recognise encroachment dynamics and take the necessary steps. When requested by the NPM, some facilities were willing to integrate sex education content in their existing concepts. Development of sociopedagogical concepts must be pushed Pursuant to Section 12 of the Federal Children’s and Youth Service Act, child and youth welfare services must be provided according to professionally recognised standards and current scientific knowledge. Implementation laws in the Laender stipulate that, when determining the suitability of child and youth welfare facilities, it must be examined whether the facility has a professionally sound socio-pedagogical concept. The regulation enacted with the Viennese Children’s and Youth Service Act (Wiener Kinder- und Jungendhilfegesetz) regarding socio-pedagogical facilities stipulated that aspects of violence prevention and sex education must be included in the concepts. As competent authorities for child and youth welfare, the Laender are thus required to ensure the development and introduction of sex education concepts in all facilities. The NPM recommends asking for the presentation of a sex education concept prior to approval of a facility. Further education programme in sex education The Department of Child and Youth Welfare of the Land Upper Austria has taken up the topic and initiated a further education programme on the subject of sex education through the University of Applied Sciences. The Austrian Institute for Sex Education (Österreichisches Institut für Sexualpädagogik) will give the lectures. The NPM welcomes this initiative and promotes similar further training programmes throughout Austria. The facilities should ensure that their staff take part in this training. XX The existence of a sex education concept should be viewed as a condition for approval of a facility. XX Further training programmes on the subject of sex education should be held throughout Austria. 142