VIDO+: a prevention project in the area of family distress

The Lugano City Police, in collaboration with the Divisione socialità (Social Services Division), the Cantonal Police, and the Consultorio familiare (Family Counseling Center) of Lugano, launched the VIDO+ project in 2023 under the motto "A casa tutto bene?" (Is everything okay at home?). This strategy aims to support families potentially experiencing distress and to prevent conflict escalation through preventive measures.

Conflict situations

Police interventions in family settings involving criminal offenses of domestic violence, which lead to action by the Cantonal Police and social services, account for approximately 20% of cases. In 80% of interventions, no criminal domestic violence offenses are detected; however, this does not rule out the existence of family distress situations that may require intervention to prevent escalation into criminal offenses.

In such cases, the usual procedure would be to notify the Autorità regionali di protezione (ARP) when minors are present in the family. However, there is awareness that these distress situations can reoccur, intensify, and lead to violent behavior within the couple or family.

The birth of VIDO+

Since 2018, the Lugano City Police have collaborated with the Servizio violenza domestica (Domestic Violence Service) of the Cantonal Police for cases of domestic violence. However, they previously lacked a specific mechanism to address family distress and prevent its escalation into domestic violence. Recognizing the growing need to identify potentially risky situations early and considering the proximity activities of the municipal police, it was decided to develop a prevention and early intervention project for the City of Lugano. This initiative aims to help contain and reduce episodes and crimes of domestic violence over the long term.

The VIDO+ project was thus born, representing a virtuous collaboration among various municipal and cantonal stakeholders. This multidisciplinary teamwork - driven by motivation, expertise, and shared experiences - culminated in the first project focused on family distress, with a dedicated team within the Lugano Police.

The goal of VIDO+ is to help detect, contain, and reduce family distress by offering structured and ongoing support to families, introducing new measures to mitigate conflict situations. Among the key measures is the monitoring of cases without criminal offenses, offering mediation services to the involved parties, and providing counseling to family members to curb the escalation of conflicts.

The actors involved

The project involves operational resources for cases of family distress based on the principles of proximity, partnership, and coordination. Family distress refers to domestic conflict situations that do not constitute a criminal offense. For these cases, VIDO+ introduces a new operational protocol under the responsibility of the municipal police. Cases of evident domestic violence resulting in criminal offenses remain exclusively under the jurisdiction of the Cantonal Police and the judiciary.

The actors involved - Lugano City Police, the Divisione socialità, and the Centro di competenza violenza of the Cantonal Police - act in a coordinated manner, strengthening one another's efforts. The Consultorio familiare of Lugano provides counseling to families. From an operational perspective, the municipal police have established a dedicated VIDO+ Team that works closely with the Cantonal Police, applying a specifically developed operational protocol.

Offer of counseling and accompaniment

In Lugano, during interventions for family distress, family members are informed about the VIDO+ project. The municipal police, after ensuring the well-being of the family members and assessing the situation, provide specific information about available resources, the opportunity to ask questions, and the possibility of initiating support based on presence and active listening.

Additionally, the involved individuals are informed about the availability of the Consultorio familiare to support family members. TheDivisione socialità of the City of Lugano can fund up to three counseling sessions at the Consultorio familiare for each family residing in Lugano that has been subject to a police intervention. This initiative aims to provide support in addressing the psychological causes of family distress and preventing escalation.

The Risk Pyramid

To identify risk factors in the family context at an early stage, the Centro competenza violenza of the Cantonal Police, led by police psychologist Marina Lang, has introduced an early risk factor screening tool for all cantonal police patrols and Lugano City patrols.

This project, a first for police forces in Switzerland, aligns with the objectives of the National Action Plan against Violence, which aims to extend threat management methods to as many cases as possible. All officers responding to distress situations have been trained in the use of this tool to improve the assessment and recognition of escalation risk factors and to establish the facts.

The Centro competenza violenza analyzes the results of the Risk Pyramid and oversees the procedure, providing guidance to the VIDO+ Team.

Scientific evaluation of the project

The VIDO+ project will undergo further scientific evaluation through collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) to assess and improve the project over the years.