Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Kinder- und Jugendhilfe -AGJ
- Child an Youth Welfare Association -

What is included in German Child and Youth Welfare?

Child and youth welfare in the Federal Republic of Germany covers all activities which will be realized for and with children/youths between 0 und 18 years of age. Certain services can be provided to persons up to 27 years.

 
It includes the following:

• preschool education in crèches, kindergartens and day care centres
• work in youth organisations
• educational programmes for the young, guidance and leisure time provision
• international youth meetings and contacts
• organisation and care of playgrounds
• recreational programmes for children and young persons
• social work in schools and vocational orientation
• protection of young persons in the public
• information, guidance and support of parents in order to develop their ability to educate their children
• responsibility for adoptions
• responsibility for foster children and care of foster homes
• educational assistance for handicapped and socially disadvantaged children and young persons
• educational assistance in youth service centres and institutions providing social services for the young
• social enquiry in juvenile cases
• guardianship and assistance in cases coming before guardianship courts
• further education programs for qualified youth workers and social staff
• training and further education programmes for voluntary workers.

The basis of these activities is the Child and Youth Services Act. (German Code of Social Law VIII)

What is the AGJ?

The AGJ - founded in 1949 - is an alliance of German child and youth welfare organisations/institutions, which works on the Federal level. These organisations/institutions are:

• the federal youth organisations and Land* youth councils
• the social welfare organisations
• specialized child welfare organisations
• the Ministries which are responsible for child/youth welfare at the Land* level
• the Working Committee of the Youth Offices of the Federal Länder *.
• Institutions and organisations that are dealing with the staff and the qualification of staff for Child-Welfare-Services

The AGJ has altogether approximately 100 member organisations. Furthermore there are experts in the fields of science and politics involved in different working groups, boards and panels of AGJ.
AGJ is the legal entity of the National Coalition for the implementation of the UN – Child convention in Germany.

Child and youth welfare in Germany will be provided by governmental and non-governmental institutions, which together have founded a non-governmental association as a platform for their close cooperation - the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugendhilfe (AGJ).
The AGJ is a forum for expert meetings, for the cooperation of its members and for advocacy of common interests of child welfare.

What are the objectives of the AGJ?

• to promote sharing of information, to further discussion and cooperation among its members
• to initiate and organise conferences and hearings
• to work out expert opinions and recommendations conscientiously among all member organisations
• to do political lobbying, to influence the legislation procedure in order to improve the conditions of life for children and their families
• to further the dialog among educators and trainers for staff members of child welfare institutions
• to public books and brochures and a regular magazine FORUM on various topics of child welfare
• to organize the German Child Welfare Conference every 4 years
• to award the German Child Welfare Prize every 2 years
• to cooperate in the international field of child welfare.
  

 
How is the work of the AGJ structured?

The Annual General Assembly decides upon the general policy of the AGJ.
The Board of Directors consists of delegates - who represent the whole membership - plus several experts of political fields and science.
The Executive Committee - AGJ’s President and 2 Vice Presidents - meets between the sessions of the Board of Directors in order to decide upon actual activities. The national office takes over the necessary coordinatorial and organisational work.

The AGJ has the following Working Groups:

• legal, financial and organisational questions of child welfare
• child and youth(welfare)policy in Europe
• qualification, research, specialists in the child and youth welfare service
• childhood and family/secretariat of the German national committee of the world organization for early childhood education (OMEP)
• youth affairs with special regards to education and professional life
• social work, guidance and assistance for bringing up children.
  

What are the objectives of the National Coalition?

Circa 90 non-governmental Organisations are members of the German National Coalition – established in May 1995 - for the implementation of the UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its aims are:

• to encourage and monitor government action towards implementation of the Convention
• to invite promoters from a broad cross section of society to act towards the implementation of the Convention and to hold conferences, workshops and open forums on relevant issues
• to discuss and disseminate the UN-Convention on the Rights of the Child in Germany for all children up to the age of 18
• to support the involvement of children and young people in the discussion and implementation of the Convention
• to exchange information on the process of implementation on an international level and inform members about activities in the international field through the NGO-Group in Geneva.
  

What are the international activities of the AGJ?

• to promote information and political lobbying on the European level
• to initiate European discussions on various topics of child and youth(welfare)policy
• the AGJ is the German national committee of the world organisation for early childhood education (OMEP)
• the AGJ is member of the international association on youth problems together with partner organisations from Austria, Switzerland and The Netherlands
• the AGJ contributes to Euro Child, AISBL, the European Network promoting the Welfare and Rights of Children and Young People
• on behalf of the Federal Government the AGJ organizes international study programmes (further educations grants) for specialist staff in the field of child welfare and social work. One of these programmes takes place in the USA, the other one in the Federal Republic of Germany.

For further questions and up to date information do not hesitate to contact the national bureau of AGJ:

Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Jugendhilfe – AGJ –
Mühlendamm 3
D-10178 Berlin
Telephone: +49 – 30 – 400 40 200
Telefax: +49 – 30 – 400 40 232
E-Mail: agj@agj.de
www.agj.de