Paritätischer: Few children benefit from the participation package
According to new calculations, the majority of children and adolescents from citizen's allowance families in Baden-Württemberg receive nothing from the so-called education and participation package. Only 14.1 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 14 benefit from this service in the state, according to a study published on Friday by the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband (Parity Welfare Association), which is based on data from the Federal Employment Agency. The national average is 18 percent.
Uta-Micaela Dürig, Head of Social Policy at the Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband Baden-Württemberg, said: "The education and participation package is not an effective means of reaching families and enabling children to participate in social and cultural life." The application process is far too bureaucratic and time-consuming for families. Job centers and local authorities need to provide better and multilingual information. "In Baden-Württemberg, the prevention networks and the state projects against child poverty must also be involved in order to make it easier for families to access the benefits."
Dürig called for the rapid introduction of basic child protection. This is regarded as the social policy project at the heart of the traffic light government and is intended to bring together various financial benefits such as child benefit, citizen's allowance, social assistance, child supplement and benefits from the education and participation package. This should create better opportunities for children and young people and reach more families in need of support.
The cabinet had already approved a draft bill by Family Minister Lisa Paus. Parliament debated it at first reading on Thursday.
The education and participation package, as mentioned by Uta-Micaela Dürig, fails to adequately reach and support families in their social and cultural activities due to its complex application process. vessel for various financial benefits such as child benefit, citizen's allowance, social assistance, child supplement, and benefits from the education and participation package, could potentially make it easier for families to access support and create better opportunities for children and young people, as proposed by Dürig for Baden-Württemberg's families.
Source: www.dpa.com
