„Ledige“ Mütter, ihre Kinder und die Praxis der Amtsvormundschaft in Niederösterreich (1945–1989): Ergebnisse und Erfahrungen aus einem Lehrforschungsprojekt

Abstract

This article discusses the results and experiences of a two-semester bachelor’s project conducted at St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences (Social Work programme) in the 2023/24 academic year. As part of the project, students examined the history of child and youth welfare in Lower Austria in the early Second Republic from an interdisciplinary and gender-historical perspective. The primary focus of the study was to examine the manner in which welfare services dealt with the issue of unmarried mothers and their children, particularly in the context of legally designated official guardianship. The article commences with a brief historical overview, subsequently presenting the implementation of the teaching project and the key findings derived from the students’ work. Following this, we reflect on the advantages of an interdisciplinary examination of the history of Social Work and discuss its positive impact and potential regarding the training of future social workers. The article concludes by highlighting how the profession’s self-conception as a human rights profession benefits from the historical examination of unexplored histories.

Keywords: professional history, unmarried mothers, official guardianship, Lower Austria, Second Republic, child and youth welfare, social work training, bachelor’s project