Budget shortages strain Youth Offices nationwide, leaving resources scarce

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), youth welfare offices are grappling with an overload of cases, particularly those involving children with special needs. The number of such children has significantly increased in recent years, straining the already stretched resources of these offices.

Family Minister Josefine Paul (Greens) has acknowledged the challenges, stating that a total of 70 million euros has been provided through the State Child Protection Act. However, she also announced that the Children and Youth Ministry is investing heavily, with the budget set to rise to almost seven billion euros by 2026.

Despite this, the minister's spokesman could not determine the actual amount of 'Self-Management Funds' available. Meanwhile, FDP MP Marcel Hafke criticized a lack of funding from the state for youth welfare offices, a claim the FDP defended against.

The overload is due to a lack of staff and the time-consuming handling of "system busters," children with special needs. This has led to staff shortages, a lack of space, and high costs for accommodation. Accommodation for these children is "extremely difficult" and means "massive costs."

Sandra van Heemskerk from the Komba trade union believes it is more important to retain employees in social services for longer, while Andreas Wittrahm from the Catholic University of NRW stated that if no accommodation can be found for such children, it indicates a failure in the system, specifically in prevention, educational support for parents, outpatient and inpatient help.

The problems in this "chain of help" are manifold. Youth welfare offices in NRW have reported a total of 53 changes in leadership at the 95 youth welfare offices in the Rhineland between 2021 and 2024, with 16 leadership changes reported this year alone. Andreas Jung from the LVR State Youth Welfare Office Rhineland described the personnel situation as "partly critical."

Family counseling centers, often the first point of contact for overwhelmed parents, have been reduced in NRW, with state subsidies cut last year. Smaller communities are financially overwhelmed by such cases, with employees of youth welfare offices often spending many hours searching for accommodation across Germany.

One notable incident involved a seven-year-old girl who was accommodated in a hotel room by the Cologne youth welfare office, guarded by two security personnel.

A spokesman for the ministry vehemently denied the figure of 400 million euros regarding the Self-Management Funds. Despite the challenges, Family Minister Josefine Paul (Greens) remains optimistic, stating that the counseling landscape is "thriving."