On World Children's Day, September 20th, the German Child Protection Association (Kinderschutzbund) is warning of further weakening of child and youth welfare services. In Bremen, as elsewhere, increasing needs are met with tight budgets, staff shortages, and overburdened structures. Under the motto "Who cares?", the Child Protection Association is drawing attention to this issue.
“Children have a right to be protected, supported, and involved. These rights must not depend on how strained the budget situation is,” says Prof. Dr. Sabine Andresen, President of the German Child Protection Association. “Reliable child and youth services must not be something reserved for good times.” Whether it’s support for families, parenting assistance, counseling, youth work, or child protection: child and youth services support children and young people in very different life situations. At the same time, the demands on professionals and institutions are increasing.
Help must be reliable in times of crisis
“When families have to wait a long time for support, professionals are constantly working at their limit, and services have to be cut back, this has concrete consequences for children and young people,” says Andresen. “Those who are particularly dependent on support need reliable contacts and help before a difficult situation turns into a crisis.” The German Child Protection Association therefore warns against primarily looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to children and young people.
“On World Children’s Day, we talk a lot about how children are our future. But what’s crucial is how we treat them today,” says Andresen. “Children need adults and institutions that take responsibility. The question ‘Who cares?’ therefore needs a clear answer: all of us – and especially the state.”
The need for support is great
“Children, young people, and their families are seeking our support. We need long-term planning security for the funding of our educational and psychological professionals to reliably offer counseling, violence prevention, and programs that empower and raise awareness of children and their rights. The healthy development of children is everyone's responsibility,” says Iris von Engeln, Managing Director of the Bremen Child Protection Association. The Child Protection Association calls on the federal, state, and local governments to provide reliable and needs-based funding for child and youth services. Children's rights must remain the benchmark for political action, even under financial constraints.
More information about the "Who Cares?" campaign can be found at: www.kinderschutzbund.de/wenkuemmerts
Source: Anyone who takes children's rights seriously must strengthen child and youth welfare services | German Child Protection Association, Bremen State Chapter, September 16, 2026
