Brochure: Erlangen City Youth Welfare Office

This chapter includes welcoming remarks from the mayor and the agency’s leadership, including the chair of the Youth Welfare Committee; the table of contents; an article on the Youth Welfare Office’s collaboration with external partners; the Youth Welfare Office’s organizational chart; and an article on the Youth Welfare Committee.

Family life is diverse and changes as children, adolescents, and parents go through different stages of life. Family and counseling services provide guidance, support, and relief during these various stages.

They strengthen families, parents, children, and adolescents in their daily lives, provide opportunities for social interaction, open up new perspectives, and help them find appropriate support early on.

Family and counseling services thus help foster a healthy environment for the development of children and adolescents.

In this chapter, you’ll find a wide range of family and counseling services offered by the Youth Welfare Office, such as those provided by the Integrated Counseling Center, the Family Education Coordination Office, the Erlangen Alliance for Families, as well as family education centers and family support centers.

Social-educational specialized services support children, adolescents, and families facing stressful or challenging life situations. The goal is to promote young people’s development, empower parents, and work together to develop sustainable prospects. This includes counseling, guidance, protection, and individualized assistance, as well as support and guidance for young people with (impending) disabilities and their families. The services are tailored to individual needs and help ensure participation, opportunities for development, and the well-being of children and adolescents.

In this chapter, you will find information on the Early Intervention Coordination Office, General Social Services, the Full-Time Foster Care Service, the Adoption Service, the Residential Care Service, Youth Welfare Services in Criminal Proceedings, and the Procedural Navigators.

There are approximately 140 child care facilities and in-home child care services in Erlangen. They are operated by more than 40 different private and nonprofit organizations, as well as the City of Erlangen. The city operates 16 regular daycare centers (nurseries, kindergartens, after-school care centers) and 14 playrooms and learning centers.

In accordance with the mandate of the Child and Youth Welfare Act, all forms of child day care are tasked with promoting the child’s development into a self-reliant and socially competent individual, as well as supporting and supplementing the child’s upbringing and education within the family.

To provide parents with a comprehensive overview, the City of Erlangen’s website lists all municipal and privately operated child care facilities, as well as municipal in-home child care, organized by type of care and city district: https://erlangen.de/themenseite/menschen/service-eltern-kinder/kinderbetreuung

In this chapter, you will find information on child care for children ages 0 to 6, child care for children starting school, the “Kitafinder” (daycare finder), the regulatory oversight of privately operated child care facilities, and educational quality support in Bavaria.

Youth social work guides young people in their personal, academic, and career development and helps them overcome the challenges of everyday life. It offers guidance, counseling, and reliable support in a variety of life situations. The goal is to promote social participation, reduce disadvantages, and support young people in building on their strengths. In doing so, youth social work creates spaces for interaction, participation, learning, and positive development opportunities.

In this chapter, you will find information on youth social work in schools (JaS), Chance 8.9.Plus, social-educational support for German language classes, the Youth Career Agency, open and mobile youth social work, and adventure playgrounds.

Financial assistance from the Youth Welfare Office supports children, adolescents, young adults, and families in various life situations. It helps ensure opportunities for development, relieve the burden on families, and make necessary support services accessible. For example, these benefits assist with educational or vocational training, ensure children’s basic needs are met, or help families access assistance and care services. The goal is to enable participation and level the playing field.

In this chapter, you will find information on educational assistance, advance child support payments, and financial assistance for youth.

The Youth Welfare Office offers more than just parenting guidance. Specialized services also provide advice on legal matters related to family, paternity, and parenthood, assist you, and issue documents free of charge.

In this chapter, you’ll find information on guardianship by appointment, court-appointed guardianship, and the Coordination Office for Voluntary Guardianship (KoseV).

Children and adolescents should be protected from harm and supported in their healthy development. In this brochure, we therefore aim not only to provide information about the services offered by the Erlangen City Youth Welfare Office, but also to clearly explain the responsibilities involved in child and youth protection. These include preventive programs, counseling, and specific protective measures.

In this chapter, you will find information on child protection, taking children into care, and youth protection. You will also find contact information for crisis and emergency situations.

In this chapter, you will find information and contact details regarding the Training Office, youth welfare planning, infrastructure management, collaboration with and support for independent agencies, coordination of youth welfare facilities, and coordination of public relations for the Youth Welfare Office.

In this chapter, you will find information about working at the Erlangen City Youth Welfare Office and about the service page for “Das Jugendamt – Unterstützung, die ankommt” (The Youth Welfare Office – Support That Makes a Difference) from the Federal Association of State Youth Welfare Offices.