Our Mission - Who are we?

The Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare (AGJ) is the forum and network of national associations, organizations, and institutions in the private and public child and youth welfare sectors in Germany. The legal entity of the AGJ is the “Board of Directors of the Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare e. V.”

The approximately 107 members of the AGJ work and collaborate with the goal of fostering communication and cooperation on youth policy and sector-specific policy at the federal level, as well as in the European and international contexts, and form a network of experts in their respective fields across the AGJ’s six member groups:

• Federal-level youth associations and state youth councils
• Federal-level umbrella organizations of independent social welfare agencies
• Federal-level specialized organizations for youth welfare
• State-level supreme youth and family authorities
• Federal Working Group of State Youth Welfare Offices
• Associations and organizations active at the federal level in the areas of human resources and professional development (initial training, continuing education, and professional development) for child and youth welfare services.

Since its founding in 1949, the AGJ has viewed its central mission as coordinating the organizational and professional structures of child and youth welfare at the federal level. The AGJ sees itself as an advocate for child and youth welfare, as a cross-organizational and cross-sectoral association, and as a cooperative network working to promote the unity of youth welfare.

As a rule, the AGJ does not itself provide direct services to young people and, in this respect, represents their interests only indirectly. It is the responsibility and authority of the AGJ’s member institutions and organizations to implement specific service offerings for children, youth, and their families in accordance with their respective objectives and values. The foundation for cooperation within the AGJ is pluralism and partnership. Central to the work of the Working Group for Child and Youth Welfare (AGJ) are the guiding principles of communication, competence, and cooperation.