Prof. Dr. Sabina Schutter was Chair of the Board of SOS Children’s Villages from 2021 to August 2025. During this time, she has further developed the organisation in child and carer protection and driven forward the reappraisal of its past. The former Professor of Childhood Education at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences and Director of the Mühldorf Campus has been committed to supporting girls and women from disadvantaged backgrounds in research and practice for many years.

In addition to supporting young women, the topics of children’s rights and child protection are particularly close to her heart: How can children be better protected in families and in institutions such as SOS Children’s Villages? How can children’s rights be effectively implemented in policy and practice? What role do gender relations and questions of equality play in the family, the world of work and politics?

As a member of Expert Committee IV “Kindheit, Kinderrechte, Familienpolitik” at the German Federal Association for Child and Youth Welfare (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe), Prof Schutter contributes both academic and practical perspectives to political discourse. As a representative of SOS-Kinderdorf, she advised the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs during the previous legislative term on the development of the basic child security scheme.

One issue especially close to the sociologist’s heart is the mental health of young migrants. After visiting refugee accommodations in Greece, she adapted their concept of “Mental Health Coaches” and is currently implementing it in Germany with support from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ).

Sabina Schutter and her partner (one cat, one man) live in Munich. There she stays away from the mountains, preferring instead to go on culinary expeditions when she’s not jogging and listening to one of her three favourite podcasts: Apokalypse & Filterkaffee, die Lage der Nation and Sophie Passmann.