Conference of Youth and Family Ministers in Bremen

24.05.2024

This year, Bremen holds the chairmanship of the Conference of Youth and Family Ministers (JFMK). The conference will take place on May 23 and 24. The theme for 2024 is "Enabling diversity – promoting diversity – utilizing diversity".

Responsibility for the JFMK (Youth, Family, and Children's Conference) in Bremen is divided: The Senator for Labor, Social Affairs, Youth, and Integration is responsible for the areas of young people and families. The Senator for Children and Education is responsible for early childhood education. Due to the JFMK's traditional focus areas, the JFMK office is located within the Senator for Labor, Social Affairs, Youth, and Integration.

State-level responsibility: Child, youth and family policy

The Conference of Ministers for Youth and Family Affairs (JFMK) is the expert body of the state ministers and senators responsible for child, youth, and family policy. It advises on and decides upon important and fundamental matters concerning child, youth, and family policy.

Together, legal, technical, and political issues are coordinated and corresponding decisions are made. In particular, topics such as youth work, childcare, child welfare services, media protection, and the further development of needs-based family policies are regularly the subject of consultations. This often involves collaboration with other specialist ministerial conferences, such as the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs.

The chairmanship and management of the JFMK rotate to a different country each year.

Youth and Family Ministers adopt the “Bremen Declaration”

After two days of deliberations, the Conference of Ministers for Youth and Family Affairs (JFMK) in Bremen concluded today, Friday, May 24, 2024. The key resolution and thus the central focus of the JFMK was the "Bremen Declaration," a voluntary commitment by the German states: "In light of the current threat to democracy, the states emphasize the importance of democratic education and forms of participation in all areas of child and youth welfare," said Bremen's Senator for Social Affairs and Youth, Dr. Claudia Schilling, who, together with Bremen's Senator for Children and Education, Sascha Karolin Aulepp, currently holds the JFMK chairmanship.

"With a view to the younger generation, which is currently exposed to more anti-democratic influences and aspirations than ever before in the history of the Federal Republic, it is now important to promote resilience against undemocratic attitudes and to strengthen democratic values." To this end, children and young people must be able to exert more influence in their immediate living environment.

Early childhood education in focus

“The fact that we must provide all children with early childhood education is therefore doubly important,” said Senator for Children and Education Sascha Karolin Aulepp. “This helps to overcome structural disadvantages. The right to early childhood education must be fulfilled for all children and must not be made more difficult by socially unequal access opportunities.”

Furthermore, effective participation and inclusion also enable individual support and education from the very beginning. Sascha Karolin Aulepp: “It is important for children to experience themselves as equal members of a group. And their language skills develop best through communication with one another – this is essential for their future social participation.”

Improve access opportunities

Access to early childhood education programs should be improved wherever it is not yet available to all families, often precisely where it is most important for the children, emphasized the Senator for Children and Education. "Despite the current shortage of skilled workers, this must be implemented as a priority and linked to new strategies for securing and recruiting qualified professionals."

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus explained:

"Good childcare requires sufficient and qualified staff. I have discussed the growing shortage of childcare professionals and how we can close it extensively with my counterparts from the other states. With the 'Bremen Declaration,' the federal and state governments have clearly committed to expanding childcare and improving its quality. The intention to harmonize childcare quality nationwide is an important signal, and one I am particularly pleased about. I will do everything in my power to ensure continued funding."

Tailoring participation formats to the needs of young people

The Bremen Declaration further emphasizes the general aim of aligning participation formats with the needs of young people and developing them jointly with them. This is based on current studies showing that many children and young people feel their concerns are not sufficiently taken into account and desire more decision-making power and participation.

“Against the backdrop of multiple crises – pandemic, climate crisis, wars and terror – a generation is in danger of growing up with feelings of powerlessness. We can counteract this by giving young people a firm place in everyday life through participation and decision-making,” explained Senator Dr. Schilling.

It is important not to overlook young people in difficult circumstances, such as those living in foster families or in youth or integration assistance facilities ("homes"). This also includes unaccompanied minors from abroad. "We agree that their perspectives and experiences must be incorporated into the further development of child and youth welfare services," said Senator Dr. Schilling.

Key decisions in detail

Specifically, the JFMK formulated the introduction of parental allowance for foster parents , in order to achieve financial equality with biological parents. Caring for a foster child requires – especially during the settling-in period – that one parent cease or reduce their employment.

Experience has shown that in times of increasing economic uncertainty, families are less willing to take in foster children, while at the same time the need for placements continues to rise. As a result, more children have to be placed in youth welfare institutions ("homes"), which is not only more expensive but also deprives children of the opportunity to grow up in a family environment, which is particularly beneficial for infants and toddlers.

“Foster parents do incredibly important work,” explained Aminata Touré, Minister for Social Affairs, Youth, Family, Seniors, Integration and Equality in Schleswig-Holstein, in justifying the decision. “This work is a full-time commitment that often comes with financial losses. Foster parents should therefore – like other parents – receive financial support through parental allowance.”

The states have also proposed legally enshrining the support services in maternity clinics . These services are intended to specifically target families in precarious situations, identify their support needs, and facilitate contact with early intervention services. The JFMK (Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs) suggests partial legal anchoring at the federal level, both within the health insurance system (Social Code Book V) and within the youth welfare system (Social Code Book VIII).

Hamburg's Senator for Family Affairs, Melanie Schlotzhauer, who will take over the JFMK chairmanship in 2025, emphasized:

"Ensuring good starting conditions for children and their families is a key priority for the JFMK (Youth and Family Welfare Conference). Together with my colleagues in the federal states, I want to strengthen the successful concept of the guidance services, which offer information and advice to families in maternity and pediatric clinics, nationwide. The resolution adopted therefore provides for the future anchoring of these guidance services in both the German Social Code, Book V (SGB V) and Book VIII (SGB VIII). This would be a unique and groundbreaking model that reinforces the cross-system approach in early intervention services. If implemented by the federal government, this could significantly advance the joint action of the healthcare system and youth welfare services in preventive child protection."

The JFMK also appealed to the federal government not to make any cuts in the 2025 budget in areas that would directly affect children, adolescents, and young adults. In doing so, they spoke out in advance against any potential budget cuts planned for the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

Funding must not be cut for voluntary services, international youth work, the promotion of multigenerational centers, investment support for youth education and meeting centers, as well as youth hostels and family holiday centers. Neither the federal states nor the sponsoring organizations can compensate for any cuts.

The JFMK (Joint Commission for Democracy and Civic Education) has reviewed the Federal Government's draft Democracy Promotion Act, which aims to ensure the long-term funding of democracy promotion, diversity initiatives, extremism prevention, and political education. The Federal Government is urged to promptly adopt the draft, which has been available since 2022. The law establishes a legally binding framework for programs aimed at disengaging from extremist ideologies such as right-wing extremism, xenophobia, and Islamism. Furthermore, it provides the basis for funding continuing education and information programs for professionals and the general public, as well as preventative initiatives.

“With regard to the Bremen Declaration, I can say that this binding funding is of great importance in my view in light of the rise of discriminatory, exclusionary and democracy-endangering ideologies,” emphasized the acting JFMK Chairwoman Dr. Claudia Schilling.

Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus added:

"I am pleased about the momentum for the Democracy Promotion Act, with which the states are pushing for this important law to finally be passed. This JFMK has made important decisions and shown that the federal and state governments are pulling together on crucial projects."

The JFMK supports the continuation of the investigation process into “Helmut Kentler’s work in Berlin’s child and youth welfare system” and asks the federal government to examine whether and how a concept for the systematic investigation of sexualized violence in child and youth welfare can be developed jointly with the states and the rights of those affected can be strengthened in the Social Code VIII.

The background to this is a report commissioned by the state of Berlin from the University of Hildesheim on Kentler's activities in Berlin's child and youth welfare system. From the late 1960s onward, he is alleged to have promoted the placement of children in foster care, even with individuals who had prior convictions for sexual contact with minors. A nationwide network is said to have existed in which actors from academia, child and youth welfare services, and administration, in cooperation with the Berlin State Youth Welfare Office, allegedly supported, legitimized, tolerated, justified, and/or perpetrated pedophilic views and sexualized violence.

Furthermore, the JFMK proposes changes to the regulations governing the admission of unaccompanied foreign minors. In particular, they advocate for federal cost-sharing. They also argue that the law must include provisions for age assessment across different jurisdictions. Finally, they require clarification regarding the deadlines for ensuring an equitable distribution of unaccompanied minors within Germany.

Without debate, the German states decided to increase their financial contribution to the work of the Foundation for the International Youth Meeting Center in Oświȩcim/Auschwitz – matching the federal government's contribution – from €50,000 to €125,000 annually. The expenditure for each state will be determined according to the Königstein Key, which takes into account population size and tax revenue.

More information about the JFMK

Source: Senate Press Office, The Senator for Labour, Social Affairs, Youth and Integration/The Senator for Children and Education, Press Release , 24 May 2024