Our Forum and Network – How Do We Work Together?

The Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare (AGJ) brings together institutions, organizations, and working groups in the field of child and youth welfare at the federal level. The AGJ’s highest decision-making body is the General Assembly, which typically meets once a year. 

The AGJ Executive Board, which meets at least five times a year, consists of the Executive Committee —the BGB Executive Board—which includes the chairperson and at least two, but no more than four, vice-chairpersons. In addition, the Executive Board includes seven individual members, also elected by the AGJ General Assembly, five of whom come from the field of child and youth welfare and two from the field of disability services, as well as two or three board members per AGJ member group, who are elected by their respective groups and confirmed by the AGJ General Assembly. The AGJ Executive Board deliberates on fundamental issues of youth policy as well as key questions regarding the practice and further development of child and youth welfare.

A key focus of the AGJ’s activities is its work in professional and youth policy committees. In addition to the association’s governing bodies (General Assembly, Board of Directors, Executive Board), the AGJ establishes specialized committees to address the core areas of responsibility and fields of action in child and youth welfare. 

The following six areas of work for the AGJ and the corresponding AGJ specialized committees have currently been designated or established:

Organizational, Financial, and Legal Issues

Policies on Children and Youth (Welfare) in Europe

Training, Research, Skilled Workers

Childhood, Children's Rights, Family Policy

Youth, Education, Youth Policy

Educational Assistance, Family Support, and Social Work Services

To fulfill its statutory duties, the AGJ maintains an executive office organized into departments and areas of work. The AGJ’s administrative office is responsible for day-to-day operations and also serves as the link between technical communication and cooperation within the AGJ’s expert committees and other working groups—which operate on behalf of the AGJ’s Executive Board—and the AGJ’s position on fundamental issues and current topics in child and youth welfare, as determined by the General Assembly or the AGJ’s Executive Board.

The substantive, conceptual, professional, and youth policy work within the AGJ, its committees, and the Secretariat is structured in such a way as to ensure transparency and the continuous dissemination of information regarding the results of discussions and consultations, as well as the AGJ’s decisions.