The Child and Youth Services Act (Kinder- und Jugendhilfegesetz), corresponding to Book 8 of the Social Code (SGB VIII), sets out a broad range of tasks and activities that are (designed to be) coordinated to reflect the integrated nature of child and youth services.
While Book 8 represents a set of socio-educational services that are provided on a case-by-case basis, it also lays out sovereign tasks to be performed in order to protect children and adolescents; specifically, it authorises and requires various forms of intervention [see Fields of work in child and youth services (Articles 11-60, Social Code Book 8)].
The range of measures and activities reflects the tasks to be fulfilled by child and youth services at several levels.
- First, child and youth services is required to provide young people with general assistance in growing up and acquiring an education. As a rule, the services delivered in this area are targeted at all children, adolescents and young adults and to some extent also to their parents. Examples of these services, which are mostly taken for granted and widely taken up, include child day-care centres and nurseries, youth work, youth education work, and services for parents and families. These are core components of the general child and youth services infrastructure.
- Second, child and youth services provides specific support to individuals in difficult situations. Assistance is provided to parents who wish to separate or divorce, to single parents, and to socially or personally disadvantaged young people who struggle to transition from school to working life, in an attempt to resolve potential problems as soon as they arise. Early intervention (Frühe Hilfen), an interdisciplinary form of assistance offered jointly by child and youth services and the health sector that emerged over the last decade, is part of this field.
- Third, Book 8 of the Social Code stipulates specific support services for children, adolescents and young adults who require them due to
- parents’ lack of ability to raise them,
- personal crisis,
- an inability to participate because of a disability or impairment, or
- lack of maturity (in the case of young adults).
These target groups have a legal claim to these services, the extent of which is beyond the remit of the general support infrastructure, and which require case-by-case planning and intervention. Examples of such services include
- socio-educational support,
- assistance for children and adolescents with a psychological disability, and
- support for young adults.
They can range from non-residential services of differing intensity all the way to the offer of alternative living arrangements for children and adolescents in homes or foster families.
- Finally, child and youth services becomes active ex officio when, owing to parents’ inability to do so themselves, it becomes necessary to protect children and adolescents from harm. This is one of the sovereign tasks that are performed by the youth welfare office independently of the wishes of the individuals in question, but not without their involvement. While this can mean action to avert imminent danger (e.g., taking a child into custody), it can also involve participation in contentious family court proceedings or juvenile criminal cases. This reflects the authority of public youth welfare services to execute “state custodianship” (staatliches Wächteramt). These sovereign tasks are designed to help the state fulfil its responsibility for ensuring the care and welfare of children and adolescents.
Given that child and youth services is an integrated entity, experts working in this field must remain mindful of all responsibilities to be met by it as well as of the variety of all tasks and services in its remit. It is not sufficient to limit the focus to their own area of responsibility. Such a blinkered view would run counter to the intention and philosophy behind child and youth services. Regardless of the specifics of their own areas of activity, experts must maintain an awareness of the place they occupy in the system, and cooperate with and make productive use of overlaps with other parts of the child and youth services system.
It follows that all tasks in this area (education, child-raising, counselling, support, assistance and protection) come to bear in all possible contexts, with some given greater weight than others depending on the situation at hand.
- Böllert, Karin (ed.) (2018): Kompendium Kinder- und Jugendhilfe. Wiesbaden.
- Hansbauer, Peter/Merchel, Joachim/Schone, Reinhold (2020): Kinder- und Jugendhilfe – Grundlagen, Handlungsfelder, professionelle Anforderungen. Stuttgart.
- Jordan, Erwin/Maykus, Stephan/Stuckstätte, Eva (2015): Kinder- und Jugendhilfe – Einführung in Geschichte und Handlungsfelder, Organisationsformen und gesellschaftliche Problemlagen. 4th revised edition, Weinheim and Munich.
- Münder, Johannes/Meysen, Thomas/Trenczek, Thomas (eds.) (2022): Frankfurter Kommentar SGB VIII Kinder und Jugendhilfe. 9th edition, Baden-Baden.
- Schröer, Wolfgang/Struck, Norbert/Wolff, Mechthild (eds.) (2016): Handbuch Kinder- und Jugendhilfe. 2nd edition, Weinheim and Munich.
- Wiesner, Reinhard/Wapler, Friederike (2022): SGB VIII – Kinder- und Jugendhilfe, Kommentar. 6th edition, Munich.
Sheria ya Huduma za Watoto na Vijana (Kinder- und Jugendhilfegesetz) inawakilisha Kitabu cha 8 cha Kanuni ya Jamii (SGB VIII) na inaelezea kazi mbalimbali na shughuli ambazo zinatakiwa kuendana ili kutafakari asili ya huduma za watoto na vijana. Kitabu cha 8 kinawakilisha seti ya huduma za kijamii na za elimu ambazo hutolewa kwa msingi wa kesi kwa kesi, pia inaelezea kazi za kifalme zinazopaswa kufanywa ili kulinda watoto na vijana; haswa, inaruhusu na inahitaji aina mbalimbali za uingiliaji [tazama Mashamba ya kazi katika huduma za watoto na vijana (Vitabu 11-60, Kitabu cha 8 cha Kanuni ya Jamii). mbalimbali ya hatua na shughuli huonyesha kazi ya kutimiza na huduma za watoto na vijana katika ngazi kadhaa. - Kwanza, huduma za watoto na vijana zinahitajika kutoa vijana msaada wa jumla katika kukua na kupata elimu. Kwa kawaida, huduma zinazotolewa katika eneo hili zinalenga watoto wote, matineja na watu wazima wachanga na kwa kiasi fulani pia kwa wazazi wao. Mifano ya huduma hizi, ambazo kwa ujumla huchukuliwa kwa kawaida na kuchukuliwa kwa wingi, ni pamoja na vituo vya utunzaji wa siku na vyumba vya watoto, kazi ya vijana, kazi ya elimu ya vijana, na huduma kwa wazazi na familia. Hizi ni vipengele vya msingi vya jumla ya watoto na vijana huduma ya miundombinu. - Pili, huduma za watoto na vijana hutoa msaada maalum kwa watu binafsi katika hali ngumu. Msaada hutolewa kwa wazazi wanaotaka kutengana au talaka, kwa wazazi wa pekee, na kwa vijana walio katika hali mbaya ya kijamii au ya kibinafsi ambao wanashindana na mabadiliko kutoka shule hadi maisha ya kazi, katika jaribio la kutatua matatizo ya uwezekano mara tu yanapoibuka. Uingiliaji wa mapema (Frühe Hilfen), aina ya msaada wa kitaaluma unaotolewa kwa pamoja na huduma za watoto na vijana na sekta ya afya ambayo ilitokea katika muongo uliopita, ni sehemu ya uwanja huu. "Katika kifungu cha 8 cha Sheria ya Jamii, sheria ya ""msaada"" inaweka ""msaada maalum kwa watoto, vijana na watu wazima vijana ambao wanahitaji msaada kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa uwezo wa wazazi kuwafuga, mgogoro wa kibinafsi, kutoweza kushiriki kwa sababu ya ulemavu au udhaifu, au ukosefu wa ukomavu (kwa vijana)." Makundi haya ya lengo yana haki ya kisheria ya huduma hizi, kiwango chao ni zaidi ya mamlaka ya miundombinu ya msaada wa jumla, na ambayo inahitaji mpango wa kesi kwa kesi na uingiliaji. Mifano ya huduma hizo ni pamoja na - msaada wa kijamii na kielimu, - msaada kwa watoto na vijana wenye ulemavu wa kisaikolojia, na - msaada kwa watu wazima vijana. Hizi zinaweza kuanzia huduma zisizo za makazi za kiwango tofauti hadi kutoa mipango mbadala ya kuishi kwa watoto na vijana katika nyumba au familia za kulea. - Hatimaye, huduma za watoto na vijana huwa kazi ex officio wakati, kutokana na wazazi'kutokuwa na uwezo wa kufanya hivyo wenyewe, inakuwa muhimu kulinda watoto na vijana kutoka madhara. Hii ni moja ya kazi ya uhuru ambayo hufanywa na ofisi ya ustawi wa vijana bila kujali matakwa ya watu husika, lakini si bila ushiriki wao. Ingawa hii inaweza kumaanisha hatua ya kuzuia hatari ya karibu (kwa mfano, kuchukua mtoto chini ya ulinzi), inaweza pia kuhusisha ushiriki katika kesi za madai ya mahakama ya familia au kesi za jinai za vijana. Hii inaonyesha mamlaka ya huduma za umma za ustawi wa vijana kutekeleza "uhamishaji wa serikali" (staatliches Wächteramt). Kazi hizi za uhuru zimekusudiwa kusaidia serikali kutimiza jukumu lake la kuhakikisha utunzaji na ustawi wa watoto na vijana. Kwa kuwa huduma za watoto na vijana ni chombo cha pamoja, wataalamu wanaofanya kazi katika uwanja huu lazima wawe na akili ya majukumu yote ambayo yanapaswa kutimizwa na pia aina ya kazi zote na huduma katika mamlaka yake. Haitoshi kuelekeza fikira kwenye eneo lao la daraka. Maoni kama hayo yasiyo na uhakika yangepingana na nia na falsafa ya huduma za watoto na vijana. Bila kujali mambo maalum ya maeneo yao ya shughuli, wataalamu lazima kudumisha ufahamu wa nafasi yao katika mfumo, na kushirikiana na kufanya matumizi ya uzalishaji ya overlaps na sehemu nyingine za mfumo wa huduma za watoto na vijana. Kwa hivyo, kazi zote katika eneo hili (elimu, kulea watoto, ushauri, msaada, msaada na ulinzi) zinahusika katika muktadha wote unaowezekana, na baadhi ya uzito zaidi kuliko wengine kulingana na hali iliyopo. - Böllert, Karin (mhariri) (2018): Kompendium Kinder- und Jugendhilfe. Wiesbaden. - Hansbauer, Peter/Merchel, Joachim/Schone, Reinhold (2020): Kinder- und Jugendhilfe  Grundlagen, Handlungsfelder, professionelle Anforderungen. Stuttgart. - Jordan, Erwin / Maykus, Stephan / Stuckstätte, Eva (2015): Kinder- und Jugendhilfe <unk> Uanzishwaji katika Historia na Handlungsfelder, Organisationsformen na Societal Probllagen. Toleo la nne la toleo la mwisho la Weinheim, Munich - Münder, Johannes/Meysen, Thomas/Trenczek, Thomas (mhariri) (2022): Frankfurter Kommentar SGB VIII Kinder und Jugendhilfe. Toleo la 9 la Baden-Baden - Schröer, Wolfgang/Struck, Norbert/Wolff, Mechthild (ed.) (2016): Handbuch Kinder- und Jugendhilfe. Toleo la pili, Weinheim na Munich. - Wiesner, Reinhard/Wapler, Friederike (2022): SGB VIII  Kinder- und Jugendhilfe, Kommentar. Toleo la sita, Munich.