Inclusion in child and youth welfare: New certificate program prepares professionals for legal reform

What should you do if a child needs support but no one is really responsible for providing it? This is exactly what many families with disabled children still experience today. “Parents often have to deal with the youth welfare office, social welfare office, health insurance company, and long-term care insurance company at the same time, depending on which authority is responsible for which type of assistance,” explains Florian Acker, himself a social worker and lecturer in the new study program. He continues: “Especially in childhood, it is often not clear from a professional point of view whether a child has a mental or intellectual disability. Nevertheless, this is precisely what determines responsibility at present.” For parents, this means uncertainty, because they often do not know exactly what their legal rights are.

The legal background is the Child and Youth Empowerment Act, which came into force in 2021 and is being implemented gradually. From 2028, child and youth welfare in Germany will then be fundamentally restructured. In future, the youth welfare office will be responsible for all children and young people, regardless of whether they have a mental, intellectual, or physical disability.

However, for this system change to succeed, comprehensive knowledge, new attitudes, and well-prepared organizations are needed. This is exactly where the certificate program “Inclusive Child and Youth Welfare” comes in. It is aimed at social workers in child and youth welfare – both in the public sector and in independent organizations – as well as managers and executives. Three central areas of focus are taught: a sound understanding of inclusion and the living situations of children and young people with disabilities, the legal basis of the reform, and concrete strategies for organizational and personnel development.

The program places particular emphasis on practical relevance. “All of the instructors are themselves active in child and youth welfare or integration assistance and have many years of experience with reform processes,” explains Florian Acker. In addition to legal knowledge, the program therefore also addresses practical questions: How must processes in youth welfare offices change? What skills will employees need in the future? How can a common technical language be developed between previously separate systems?

“Inclusion is no longer an abstract vision, but a legal mandate. With this study program, we are helping people to engage with the reform at an early stage. Stakeholders can then play an active role in shaping it, rather than just having to react later,” explains Florian Acker, who also helped to design the program's content.

The certificate program starts in April and is designed to be taken alongside work. The courses are compact and take place in person in Lüneburg. “The aim is not only to provide professionals with technical qualifications, but also to give them confidence in dealing with the coming changes – for the benefit of practice and, above all, the children, young people, and families affected,” explains Florian Acker.