Overview
- The Federal Statistical Office reported Monday that youth welfare offices took about 56,900 children and adolescents into temporary protective custody in 2025, an 18% decline from 2024 and a roughly 24% fall over two years.
- The main driver of the fall was a near‑halving of cases after unaccompanied entries, which fell from roughly 30,800 in 2023 to about 16,500 in 2025, a 47% drop in one year.
- Despite the overall decline, mentions of physical abuse rose by 1,114 and mentions of psychological abuse rose by 941 in 2025, with girls making up 65% of physical‑abuse mentions and 62% of psychological‑abuse mentions.
- Statisticians say 53% of custody measures in 2025 were triggered by urgent child‑welfare endangerment, 29% by unaccompanied entries and 18% by self‑reports, and after interventions 25% returned home while 44% were placed in new accommodation.
- Guardians lodged objections in 9% of cases and youth offices involved family courts in 82% of those disputes, a pattern that highlights ongoing legal friction and could increase demand for placement capacity and court resources.