Undergraduate and postgraduate education and work experience

Education and training

• 10/2007 - 01/2011: Doctorate in Sociology with successful viva on 07.01.2011 (summa cum laude), Free University Berlin
• Thesis title: “Social organisations and their mistakes. Discourse, concepts, research” (first assessor: Prof. Dr. Reinhart Wolff, second assessor: Prof. Dr. Bruno Hildenbrand)
• 10/2008 - 03/2009: Studied sociology in the master's programme “Sociology - European Societies”, modules on sociological theories of societal change, and integration and methods of comparative social research.
• 10/2002 - 07/2006: Studies leading to Dipl. Social Educator/Social Worker (FH), Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin
• 10/2005 - 03/2007: Training as specialist for dialogue coaching and conflict management (Kronberger Kreis für Dialogische Qualitätsentwicklung e.V.)
• 09/2007 - 11/2008: Training as Case Manager (DGCC)

Career milestones

• Since 11/2011: Professor for child and youth welfare with a focus on child protection, Institute for Studies in Children and Youth Services, FHNW School of Social Work
• 09/2009 - 07/2011: Research associate in the project “Learning from mistakes - quality management in child protection”, Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin
• 10/2007 - 07/2011: Lecturer for the modules “Theory-Practice-Processing Child and Youth Welfare” and “Methods in the Pedagogical Field: Social Space Orientation / Network Work” of the bachelor’s degree course Social Work and Education in Childhood, Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin
• 05/2008 - 04/2009: Doctoral scholar of the Heinrich Böll Foundation
• 01/2007 - 04/2008: Director/deputy director of a recognised independent provider of child and youth welfare services in the Federal Province of Brandenburg, Jugendwerkstatt Hönow e.V.
• 09/2006 - 12/2006: Socio-pedagogical support of a youth group (UJZ Karlshorst) to develop an independent youth centre in the neighbourhood of Karlshorst in Berlin, Potpourri Karlshorster Kiezladen e.V.

Main focus

Research and development / services

• Quality development in child protection
• Research on mistakes in child protection
• Procedures, methods and instruments to assess and clarify the best interests of the child
• Analysis of problematic and successful child protection cases
• Dialogic-systemic case work in child protection
• Technical supervision in child and youth welfare services
• Methods of qualitative social research

Teaching

• BA 251: Child and youth welfare I, elective compulsory course child protection

Continuing education

• CAS Dialogical-Systemic Child Protection Work