Family crisis in Switzerland: immediate help and official steps

Family crisis in Switzerland: short answer

If anyone is in immediate danger, call the police on 117; for a medical emergency call 144. After violence or another criminal act, Victim Support on 142 provides free, confidential and anonymous guidance; 142 is not an emergency number. If a child may be at risk, the locally competent child and adult protection authority, the KESB, is responsible. The type of danger—not citizenship—determines the first step.

Quick help: which number should you call?

• Immediate danger or violence in progress: 117, police. Move to a safe place only if you can do so without increasing the risk.

• Serious injury or medical emergency: 144, ambulance. Do not wait to collect documents or clarify insurance.

• Victim of violence or another crime: 142, Victim Support. Guidance is free, confidential, anonymous and available around the clock, but it does not replace 117 or 144.

• Adult emotional crisis: 143. For children and young people: 147. Both services are available around the clock.

• A child may face an ongoing protection risk: find the KESB responsible for the place of residence; for immediate danger call 117 or 144 first.

Check current national contacts on the federal help page for violence, the Victim Support Switzerland portal and the FOPH mental-health support list. Save the numbers, but do not continue browsing when there is immediate danger.

A safe order for the first 24 hours

1. Stop the immediate danger. Call the appropriate emergency service and leave the location only when doing so is safe.

2. Obtain medical care. Injury, medication problems, suicide risk or an acute mental-health condition take priority. Describe exactly what happened.

3. Bring in specialist support. After violence, 142 can help choose the next step for safe accommodation and legal, psychological or financial support.

4. Protect children. Do not use them to carry messages and do not cross a border with them without urgent legal advice when parental rights are disputed.

5. Record facts when safe. Note times, places, people involved and authorities already contacted. Preserve original messages and documents without editing them.

Domestic violence and Victim Support

Victim Support assists people whose physical, psychological or sexual integrity has been harmed by a criminal act, as well as people close to them. Its official domestic-violence page lists legal and psychological guidance, financial assistance and help finding a safe place when needed. The advice centre determines what service and funding are available in the individual circumstances. This guide therefore does not promise an automatic shelter place, a fixed payment or an identical process in every canton.

The national 142 line started on 1 May 2026. It is free, confidential, anonymous and can also be used by relatives. It is not an emergency dispatch service. If the person using violence is present, making threats, a weapon is involved or someone is injured, call 117 or 144 first. Do not rely on an old number copied from an outdated article.

Child safety: what does the KESB do?

The Kindes- und Erwachsenenschutzbehörde, or KESB, is the central cantonal authority for child and adult protection. Its organisation and name can differ between cantons. Use the KOKES municipality search to identify the competent office. Do not report immediate physical danger only by administrative email; contact the police or ambulance instead.

The KOKES child-protection explainer says the KESB acts when parents, family or the surrounding environment cannot provide the protection a child needs. Its purpose is to protect the child and support the family, not automatically punish parents. Measures depend on the case; this page does not predict removal, a custody result or a fixed deadline.

Mental-health crisis and suicide risk

Adults can contact Dargebotene Hand on 143, while children and young people can contact Pro Juventute on 147, both around the clock. For immediate self-harm risk, unconsciousness, overdose or a severe psychiatric emergency, call 144. Do not leave the person alone if you can remain without risking your own safety, and tell the dispatcher what immediate risk you can observe.

Cross-border child cases: get legal advice before travelling

When parents disagree about custody or the child’s place of residence, taking the child to another country unilaterally is not an ordinary travel decision. The Federal Office of Justice explains international child-abduction procedures and the role of the Swiss Central Authority under the relevant conventions. Before crossing a border with the child, obtain urgent family-law advice or contact the Central Authority. The required consent and documents depend on the individual case.

When do you need a lawyer, authority or consulate?

• Lawyer: when the child’s residence or custody is disputed, protection or criminal proceedings have started, an urgent court decision is needed, or an official notice contains a legal deadline.

• Swiss authority: when the police, court, KESB, social service or another cantonal body owns the issue. Find the responsible body in the federal directory of authorities.

• Hungarian consulate: for Hungarian identity documents, consular protection or contact with Hungarian authorities. Use the current Embassy of Hungary contact page; the consulate does not replace Swiss police, courts, the KESB or your lawyer.

The separate consular guide covers documents and consular cases, the police-matter guide covers fines and procedural papers, and the official-notice guide covers analysis of authority letters. Those are distinct search tasks; this page keeps the safe triage for a family crisis in one place.

Which documents should you prepare?

There is no nationwide mandatory document list for every family crisis. If safely accessible, prepare identity and residence documents, insurance details, basic information about the children, relevant court or KESB papers, medication lists, housing information and a short chronology. In violence cases, preserve original messages, photographs and medical records. Send only what the specific authority or adviser requests; do not pay in advance for apostilles or certified translations because of a generic internet checklist.

Common dangerous mistakes

• Using an old, unverified helpline instead of 117, 144 or 142.

• Collecting documents during an emergency before establishing safety.

• Assuming every canton provides the same automatic exclusion order, shelter place or financial payment.

• Crossing a border with a child without urgent legal review when parental rights are disputed.

• Treating the consulate as a Swiss emergency service, court or legal representative.

• Editing original messages, publishing evidence online or starting a dangerous confrontation.

Final checklist

• Immediate safety and medical risks have been addressed.

• The specialist service responsible for the actual problem has been selected.

• The children’s position and any cross-border risk received separate review.

• Only safely accessible original documents and facts have been preserved.

• The competent cantonal body and the next concrete step are written down.

Last fact check: 5 August 2026. National help numbers apply across Switzerland, but police protection measures, KESB procedures, accommodation, legal aid and requested documents depend on the case and canton. In immediate danger, follow the emergency service’s instructions first.