PiB Foster Children in Bremen gGmbH

PiB is Bremen's contact point for foster families, foster parents, mentoring programs, and childcare providers. Would you like to get involved with us to help children? We would be happy to provide you with more information.

PiB, a non-profit organization, is Bremen's specialist service for foster care and childminding. We train and support people who live with children or wish to care for them. If you are interested in taking a child into full-time or temporary foster care, becoming a mentor, or working as a childminder, we will prepare you thoroughly for these tasks.

At PiB, experts in family-oriented care advise individuals and families who support children with us for short or long periods. Our guiding principles provide important guidance for our collaborative work.

PiB – Pflegekinder in Bremen gemeinnützige GmbH was founded in 2001, and since April 2002 it has been working closely with the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen on the basis of a cooperation agreement.

Four experienced providers of family and youth services in Bremen are shareholders of PiB:

• the Caritas Association Bremen e. V.,
• Petri & Eichen Diaconal Children's and Youth Welfare Bremen gGmbH,
• the German Red Cross Bremen District Association and
• the Bremen Infant Homes Association (Hermann Hildebrand House).

Offers

Full-time care

Sometimes children or young people can no longer live with their parents. This can have many reasons. In such cases, a foster family is often a good option. It offers stable structures and affection, and it supports the child or young person – for a shorter period or in the long term.

In any case, foster parents offer a safe, family-like environment. Those who take responsibility for a child or young person provide them with support and stability.

Child day care

PiB is the responsible specialist service for child day care in the city of Bremen: PiB specialist advisors cooperate with around 230 self-employed child day care providers who care for a total of over 1,000 children. The Child and Youth Welfare Act (§ 23 SGB VIII) is the legal basis.

Childminding is a family-based form of childcare that is legally equivalent to childcare in daycare centers. It primarily offers care for children up to the age of three, including children who require special support and early intervention. In individual cases, children up to the age of 14 are also cared for, for example, after daycare or school.

A childminder can care for up to five children at a time in their own home. This is standard childminding. Another form is external childminding, where two childminders care for up to ten children in rented, child-friendly premises. The third form is mobile childminding, where the child is cared for in the home of their parents or guardians.

Early intervention for children with special needs is possible in all three forms. Furthermore, PiB can develop additional tailored support services in cooperation with institutions and employers.

Transitional care

Sometimes family crises become so acute that children or young people urgently need a safe place to live. In such emergencies, transitional foster care placements take in children up to the age of 17.

There, the children find a safe haven with clear and stable structures and reliable support for a limited time. This can be days, weeks, or several months. Once the child arrives, the social services department is responsible for determining the child's next steps. Until a decision is reached, the child lives in transitional foster care.

Short-term care

Short-term care is a form of support for parents who, usually for health reasons, are unable to care for their children themselves for a limited time, for example, if a mother has to go to a health resort, undergo rehabilitation, or give birth. In such cases, someone is needed to step in at short notice and care for the child day and night. The child is placed with a family for a limited period, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.

Sponsorships

Children live in a unique situation when a parent – ​​often the single mother – is mentally ill or otherwise burdened. Children sense when their parents are overwhelmed by everyday life. They often take on too much responsibility and develop symptoms of burnout themselves.

A child like this needs a space where they can be a carefree child again. Everyone needs someone they can talk to about anything, including their home situation. Mentoring offers this opportunity.

Education Center

The PiB Education Center (BiZ) prepares Bremen families and interested individuals or couples for their roles as foster or mentor families and provides qualifications for the various forms of foster care. The center also offers supervision and facilitated groups for active foster parents or mentors.

Furthermore, the BiZ is centrally responsible for group activities for foster children and young people, and it offers regular exchange groups and training courses for childminders in the city of Bremen.

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Opening hours:

Mon. and Thurs. from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tues. and Wed. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Fri. from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.