Innovation and pilot projects
Coordinating innovative cantonal pilot projects on children’s rights and migration.
Recognised expertise
ISS Switzerland coordinates pilot projects initiated by cantonal authorities on children’s rights and migration issues. It is entrusted with these mandates because of its expertise in interdisciplinary approaches, its international network of professionals and experts, and its global network present in 120 countries.
Parental consensus pilot
Since 2020, ISS Switzerland has been supporting French-speaking cantons in introducing the parental consensus model (the “Cochem” method). Two pilot projects have been developed under ISS Switzerland’s coordination, in the Canton of Valais and the Canton of Fribourg. Proven abroad, the parental consensus model aims to help separating parents find amicable solutions that meet their children’s needs and prevent the children from becoming a stake in the conflict. These solutions include referring parents to mediation and co-parenting support.
Valais
Since January 2020, the Canton of Valais has been testing the model in family law proceedings involving minor children.
Fribourg
In 2024, ISS Switzerland was mandated by the Canton of Fribourg to set up a pilot project in three districts in the south of the canton.
Raising public awareness
The exhibition “Across Time and Borders”, created for the ISS network’s centenary, highlights the stories of women, children and families on migration routes. It restores a human dimension to a complex subject and offers a space for meeting and discussing migration issues.
International cooperation
The Malta Process of the Hague Conference
The 1980 and 1996 Hague Conventions are binding only on the States that have ratified them. When a child is retained in a non-contracting State, the left-behind parent has very few remedies — compounded by different conceptions of custody and guardianship across legal traditions.
Rather than a new binding instrument, the Malta Process of the Hague Conference on Private International Law relies on lasting dialogue between judges, central authorities and experts. The aim: to build a shared understanding and develop international family mediation where the law is not enough.
ISS Switzerland takes part as the central contact point for international family mediation in Switzerland. Its services are free of charge and available to parents and professionals alike.
Three forms of support
- Informing and referring — a daily telephone helpline and referral to the competent services.
- Supporting parents — advice, support and help in maintaining ties with the child.
- Acting on the situation — international family mediation, coordination of the return and follow-up.