Systeme Früher Hilfen: Gemeinsam geht’s besser! : Ergebnisse der ersten bundesweiten Bestandsaufnahme bei Jugend- und Gesundheitsämtern (Leitthema)

The objective of this survey is to record and describe the current development status of municipal support systems targeting early childhood prevention in Germany. Nearly all participating youth welfare offices and a large number of the participating public health departments report ongoing activities in setting up and strengthening such support systems. Most of them declare to be part of interdisciplinary networks acting across departments. However, comprehension of the actual implications of early prevention varies broadly among participants and is marked by two contradictory statements: early empowerment for all parents (to be) on the one hand and preventive child protection for families at risk on the other. Cooperation with many different partners is common and mostly found within the own system but sometimes also by crossing borders. Mandatory cooperation, however, is an exclusive attribute of the youth welfare system, originating from the legal requirements. One of the most striking results is the almost complete ignorance of the powers and resources of public health departments’ by the youth welfare offices, mainly in charge for organizing municipal support systems for children and families. Improving the legal basis for funding and efforts for better qualification will be crucial for a sustainable development.