WHAT WE DO
Adult and child representation
Guaranteeing children the right to be informed, heard and represented in all proceedings that concern them.
Defending the best interests of the child in every proceeding.
Children and adults have the right to be informed in a way suited to their age and to express their views in all proceedings that concern them. Child representation makes participation a reality and safeguards children’s rights and procedural rights. It makes it possible to give greater weight to children’s positions in proceedings and decision-making processes. In transnational proceedings and intercultural settings, this mandate is particularly challenging. ISS Switzerland provides child and adult representation drawing on its long-standing expertise in children’s rights, transnational and intercultural issues, and carries out this mission within an interdisciplinary team.
Legal assistance in Geneva
On behalf of the Child Protection Service (SPMi) or the Child and Adult Protection Court, ISS Switzerland provides legal assistance to any unaccompanied foreign minor in the Canton of Geneva. Our lawyer, who specialises in migration law, represents these children before the competent migration authorities. He defends their interests in appeals against refusal of asylum, removal or withdrawal of provisional admission. He also files applications for residence permits or family reunification on their behalf, and provides information and advice to the children’s deputies.
Representation in German-speaking Switzerland
In some German-speaking cantons, ISS Switzerland provides professional, interculturally sensitive child representation. Children have the right to be informed in a way suited to their age and to express their views in all proceedings that concern them. Child representation makes participation a reality and safeguards children’s rights and procedural rights.
Our lawyer, who specialises in child representation, works with our interdisciplinary team to represent children in legal and administrative proceedings. We attach the utmost importance to a child-centred approach that encourages children to express their views freely, defends their rights and helps them understand their situation — whether in family law, migration law or, more specifically, transnational proceedings.
In 2016, the asylum application of Asma*, an Eritrean national who had arrived in Switzerland at the age of 11, was rejected. Following an appeal lodged by ISS Switzerland highlighting a risk of family persecution, Asma was granted asylum in 2018. Her deputy then asked us to take the necessary steps for family reunification with her mother. After an initial refusal, the authorities agreed to grant Asma’s mother an entry and residence permit for Switzerland under the European Convention on Human Rights.
*name changed
Our services
- Expertise in children’s rights and case management in transnational and intercultural contexts
- Discussions with the child
- Ensuring the child’s participation and supporting them as they form their views
- Child-friendly information, establishing the child’s wishes and defending their interests in proceedings
- Representing the child on matters of children’s rights and procedure (access to the file, right to make submissions, review of appeals and objections, etc.)
- Participation in amicable arrangements or solutions
Our services
- Telephone helpline and mandate requests Monday to Friday, 9:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00
- Social and legal consultations in person or online, by appointment
- Interventions abroad and individual support
- Mediation and mediation-based consultations
- Thematic and continuing training
Our methods
Our interdisciplinary team is made up of multilingual social workers, legal professionals and mediators.
Child representation is provided by a representative with a university degree in law (MLaw) and long experience in representing minors. She is a member of the Kinderanwaltschaft Schweiz association.
In practice
Initial contact and the preliminary interview are free of charge. Representation is charged at CHF 200/hour.
Transnational social and legal advice
Social and legal support for child and adult protection in cross-border situations.
Requests from Switzerland and abroad
ISS Switzerland receives requests for intervention from Switzerland and abroad concerning child and adult protection in cross-border situations. These may include requests for a social assessment of a child or an adult, intervention in a child abduction case, a search for origins, obtaining documents, or support with family reunification or humanitarian visa procedures.
A coordinated intervention
ISS Switzerland checks whether its intervention is relevant and feasible, then takes the necessary steps with its partners in Switzerland (child and adult protection authorities, child and adult protection services, cantonal and federal central authorities for the Hague Conventions, deputies) and abroad (members of the ISS network and/or directly with the families concerned).
Support based on transnational expertise
The intervention consists of social and legal support based on ISS Switzerland’s transnational and interdisciplinary expertise, through telephone calls, emails and consultations at our offices in Geneva and Zurich. It may also lead to mediation or referral to specific legal or therapeutic support.
The cost of ISS Switzerland’s services is set according to a scale of fees for private individuals and mandating services in the different cantons.
Find out more about transnational services