In various projects of the NPO Competence Center, children, adolescents, and families have been and continue to be at the center of research interest in various ways. Here is a selection of reference projects:

Complexity of Care for Children and Adolescents In recent years, professionals working with children and adolescents have reported a significant increase in difficult complex case histories, referred to as "multiproblem cases." This was the starting point for a survey among long-term employees of nonprofit organizations involved in child and youth care or therapy. In 2019, the NPO Competence Center was commissioned by Caritas Vienna, Diakonie Austria, SOS Children's Village, VKKJ, and Vorarlberger Kinderdorf to investigate how the complexity of care for children and adolescents has changed over the past 20 years. A Frequency and Burden Intensity Index (HBI-I) was calculated, revealing that the complexity of care has doubled from 1999 to 2019. An analysis of the associated burdens highlighted clear themes where action is needed and where social space planning and organizational management can take action.

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Impacts of Open and Associational Youth Work The NPO Competence Center was funded by the Federal Ministry for Family and Youth to conduct a literature review on empirically proven impacts of open and associational youth work and to analyze these findings based on various categories. Specifically, the Impact Box concept developed by Schober/Rauscher (2017) was employed. The aim of this study was to identify (societal) impacts of open and associational youth work based on evidence.

In a follow-up study, the focus is on revising and continuing the developed Impact Box. The literature analysis will be adapted and subsequently transferred into a database.

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SROI Analysis of the Social Value of VKKJ – Responsibility and Competence for Special Children and Youth The NPO & SE Competence Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna) was commissioned by VKKJ – Responsibility and Competence for Special Children and Youth to analyze the social and economic impacts of VKKJ in Lower Austria and Vienna. The association operates nine outpatient clinics for developmental diagnostics, care, and treatment of children and adolescents with disabilities, as well as a day center for adults with disabilities. The monetized impacts of the organization were approximately 10.7 times higher than the financial investments made.

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