About the project

StePLife is a longitudinal study conducted by the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland FHNW and the OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences between 2021 and 2025 in German-speaking cantons in the field of residential care. The study focuses on the question: How do young people change their personal lives through residential care?

Residential care has become an increasing focus of attention in both society and the social sciences over the past two decades. Research on the history of residential care and increased social awareness of children’s rights and child welfare risks have contributed to this. These developments highlight the need to recognize and involve young people in residential care as active participants in their own lives.

The Personal Life approach (Smart 2007) refers to a context of social relationships and places of residence in which a sense of identity, belonging, and connection is created by an individual. The results of previous studies point to the great importance of social relationships and places of residence, although the potential for change that these dimensions have has not yet been sufficiently analyzed. This is where StePLife comes in, investigating how young people aged 12-17 change their personal lives as a result of residential care.

As part of the two-year longitudinal study (panel survey), young people in residential care in German-speaking Switzerland are surveyed in three waves using a standardized questionnaire. In addition to social relationships and places of residence, the survey also covers personal circumstances (current residential group, family of origin, previous placements, behavior patterns, etc.) and the impact on the young people’s well-being (life satisfaction, etc.). The study thus contributes to a better understanding of the changes in the personal lives of young people and highlights the conditions that influence these changes and how they affect their well-being. This is an important prerequisite for further developing residential care in such a way that it can take into account the complexity of personal lives.

The StePLife research project is being conducted under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Stefan Köngeter (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, OST) and Prof. Dr. Dorothee Schaffner (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, FHNW) in collaboration with five research assistants from both universities and is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).