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Viessmann Foundation donates 50000 euros to PETRA research group to improve prevention of child abuse

Viessmann takes responsibility for tomorrow's generation. The Viessmann Foundation is committed to a study on the welfare of foster children.

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Allendorf (Eder),  Jun 14, 2021 – In Germany, up to three children die every week due to domestic violence. This circumstance has been further exacerbated by the Corona pandemic. The Viessmann Foundation is supporting a nationwide study by the PETRA research group on the welfare of foster children with a total of 50000 euros. Their goal: to significantly reduce the time it takes for a child who has been proven to be affected by domestic violence or abuse to be removed from his or her family. This is because the official procedural steps have so far sometimes taken a long time.

"Too much valuable time is lost - while the process is ongoing, traumatized children are in custody for months, in some cases even years, which can cause further damage," says Dr. Stefan Rücker, head of the PETRA research group. "Our study examines how we can improve the interface between youth welfare offices and family courts. With the results, we want to make the 50000 to 60000 annual removals of children from their families faster and less complicated for everyone involved in the future. The speedy resolution of a crisis creates opportunities for children to participate and opens up developmental opportunities. This benefits children, and society as a whole."

Even though removal from a family is always a last resort, statistics show how necessary it unfortunately is: About two-thirds of children separated from their families due to abuse are never able to return to their families. "We care a lot about the well-being of these children - they are our future," says Dr. Markus Pfuhl, Managing Director of the Viessmann Foundation. "Taking responsibility for future generations, especially in times of crisis, is a matter of course for us. By financially supporting the study, we are not only helping to protect children, but also following our corporate purpose of shaping living spaces for future generations."

The study is not financed by public funds and has already entered the pilot phase. In addition to the research group, all of Germany's approximately 600 youth welfare offices and 100 family courts are involved in the study. It is therefore dependent on further financial support. You too can support future generations with your donation! You can find all information about the donation process here:

Forschungsgruppe PETRA
VR Bank Fulda e.G.
IBAN: DE70 5306 0180 0002 2759 70
BIC: GENODE51FUL
Betreff: WE-Kids

Donors will of course receive a donation receipt.

As an interested professional public it is possible to get insights into the results of the study. The PETRA research group is part of the We4Kids project.

About the Viessmann Foundation

About the Viessmann Foundation The Viessmann Foundation was established in 2020 and has the mission statement: "Shaping sustainable living spaces for future generations together - with everything we do." Based on this, the Foundation works with internal and external partners on regional and international projects on the topics of sustainable living spaces ("Living Spaces") and future generations ("Generations to Come"), taking the approach of bringing out the best in all of us ("Best in all of us"). By working together, the Viessmann Foundation achieves greater results than would be possible on its own, creating multiple opportunities to make the world a little better.