Germany defends draft law for child and youth welfare reform

The German Federal Government is defending a draft law aimed at reforming child and youth welfare services. In response to an inquiry from the Alliance 90/The Greens parliamentary group, the government explained the proposed First Act to Reform the Structure of Child and Youth Welfare (1. KJHSRG).

A key component of the reform is the introduction of inclusive child and youth welfare. This seeks to expand jurisdiction to include all young people, specifically those with physical or mental disabilities who are currently covered under integration assistance according to the Ninth Book of the Social Code (SGB IX).

While previous plans aimed for a full merger of responsibilities by January 1, 2028, the current draft includes an experimental clause under § 10c SGB VIII. This clause replaces the mandatory merger with a time-limited, results-oriented testing phase, allowing municipalities to pilot the integration of services.