Captain of youth welfare: Marvin Jung fights against a lack of staff!

Marvin Jung, the head of the Office for Children and Youth in Bad Kreuznach, compares his job with that of a captain who runs his team and controls the youth welfare office. After taking over the management in 2023, he faces the challenges of the dispute over the submission of the youth welfare office to the district. Appreciation of the employees is important to him, which leads to a good team spirit. Daniela Holderbaum, who has been working in the department since 1995, has extensive experience with family dramas and child welfare. The move of the youth welfare office to the town hall on the Kornmarkt and the preparation of the anniversary "100 Years Youth Welfare Office" were further big tasks.

The anniversary events and the new website have brought the youth welfare office into the focus of the public. Jung reports on a lack of staff and increasing number of cases in youth welfare offices, but sees the situation in Bad Kreuznach as better. Monika Degen, youth welfare planner, is responsible for the implementation of funding programs and new legal provisions. She worked in office for over 20 years, although she originally wanted to stay only for five years. In its function, she collects statistical data for the daycare requirements plan and help for education.

challenges and future developments

The upcoming challenges include the all-day promotion law (2026) and the new including child and youth welfare law (2028). Jung emphasizes that youth welfare offices will also be responsible for topics from other legal circles in the future. As part of the upcoming redesign, playgrounds should also be adapted to children mentally and physically impaired. Jung wishes that the discussion about the submission of the youth welfare office will end and that the high -quality youth welfare in Bad Kreuznach will continue.

A comprehensive survey by Report Mainz, on the other hand, shows the difficulties with which youth welfare offices are confronted nationwide. Klara, a social worker in Berlin, reports of overload and a variety of cases that she cannot cope with despite half a day. According to the survey, 80% of the responding youth welfare offices have determined overloading employees in general social service. Around 24% of the youth welfare offices stated that children and adolescents endangered in 2023.

The situation is tightened by an acute lack of inaugurty acceptance points, which means that some children had to be accommodated on the premises of the youth welfare offices. In some cases, children were even entrusted to private individuals or had to be taken home by the youth welfare office. Child protection expert Kathinka Beckmann is concerned about this practice and emphasizes that this is an unsustainable situation. The Federal Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) also recognizes the problem and sees securing skilled workers in child and youth welfare as a central challenge.