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Asked about obstacles during this early phase of the conference, it was expressed that the preparations were highly time-consuming for the facilitators, especially because it sometimes proved to be difficult to reach members of the social network and that some of them tried to influence who would attend the conference in the end. Especially concerning the pretrial-custody-conferences the facilitators stated that they often had to work under time constraints, both in the preparation as well as during the conference itself. In many cases the conference took place in premises of the court or prison, which sometimes turned out to be unsuitable for the purpose. Generally the probation officers reported that the preparation of the conference affected their relationship to the clients in a positive way. It was also inquired from them, whether they found the procedure as a whole suitable for their client. In general it can be said that this probationary tool has a wide field of application, however certain limitations are given concerning juveniles who suffer from psychiatric disorders which could influence their concentration capacity and their ability for contractual commitment. In these cases a prior medical clarification is recommended. During the conference well-functioning communication between the participants is crucial. In the beginning of the meeting, the facilitators therefore established conversational rules. The results show that basically all the parties involved agreed that communicating had worked well. Facilitators and probation officers confirmed that the compliance with those rules was generally high and that the interaction between the participants was characterized by respect. The juveniles stated that they were taken seriously by the other parties involved and they were able to express whatever it was they wanted to say. This aligns with the assessment of the facilitators and the probation officers that the focus of the procedure was generally on the juvenile. They also widely agreed that the members of the social network showed an openminded attitude and contributed broadly and in a constructive manner to the process. Concerning the communication between the facilitators it was often indicated that working together as a team of two facilitators is a valuable resource as you can share the responsibility and rely on a partner. The aim of every conference is for the juvenile and the social network to come up with a plan that covers the prior discussed issues. In order to simplify this assignment for the participants NEUSTART offered a basic structure for these plans, suggesting that tasks should be specified as well as who is responsible for their implementation. Where necessary a time limit and somebody to supervise the realization of the plan can be established. Predominantly this structure was followed by the participants. Almost all of the plans contained tasks to be carried out by the juvenile, closely followed by assignments for which members of the social network were responsible for. Highly relevant topics, as measured by the frequency of their occurrence in the plans, proved to be housing as well as the occupation of the juvenile. Also the themes of a code of behavior for the juveniles (e.g. „I will not hang out with my old friends anymore.“), a structure for their daily life respectively their leisure behavior and support from the social network were often mentioned in the plans. 104 | 105