German child and youth welfare reform debate

The German Bundestag is debating a structural reform of child and youth welfare services, known as the First Act to Reform the Structure of Child and Youth Welfare (1. KJHSRG). The legislation aims to modernize services to be more preventive and inclusive, specifically seeking to expand jurisdiction to include young people with physical or mental disabilities currently covered under integration assistance.

Debates have centered on the implementation of school assistance for children with disabilities. Federal Family Minister Karin Prien has proposed ‘pool solutions’ where multiple children share care services to manage costs and promote social integration, though she noted individual assistance must remain for specific needs. The SPD parliamentary group has criticized this, warning that family centers and counseling should not be used as a ‘savings model’ and expressing concern that infrastructure might be prioritized over individual educational support.

In response to inquiries from the Alliance 90/The Greens, the government clarified that rather than a mandatory merger of responsibilities by January 1, 2028, the current draft includes an experimental clause. This allows municipalities to engage in a time-limited, results-oriented testing phase to pilot the integration of services.