The Planegger advice center of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) for parents, children and young people in Planegg has presented its annual report for 2020.
The corona pandemic has changed a lot.
For the Planegger counseling center of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) for parents, children and young people, the past year was dominated by the pandemic.
Compared to 2019, 7.7 percent fewer children and adolescents were registered due to the corona.
The parents stated that the most frequent reason why they came to the counseling center was again problems in the partnership, separation or divorce. “Here we recorded an increase compared to previous years.
Problems in couple relationships may have emerged more clearly due to contact restrictions, ”writes Monika Koch, head of the position, in her current activity report for 2020.
Number of cases handled has fallen
A total of 416 children, adolescents and young adults were registered with the counseling center last year.
564 family members and 99 caregivers such as teachers were also involved in the counseling process.
Since 236 consultations were ended, but there were “only” 133 initial registrations, the number of cases fell overall.
44 of the 236 completed consultations lasted more than twelve months, 116 cases, however, only one to three months.
24 percent of these children and adolescents were between nine and twelve years old, 19 percent six to nine years old, 17 percent between twelve and 15. The overall decrease “was probably due to the fact that parents, as they reported to us many times, had no strength or time to take care of help, ”writes Monika Koch.
“Since the children and adolescents were temporarily not cared for in facilities, fewer pedagogical specialists were assigned to our counseling center.
Fears of an infection may also have prevented some families from contacting us, ”says Monika Koch.
Less relationship problems
154 people cited problems in their partnership, separation or divorce as the reason for visiting the counseling center.
115 of those affected named abnormalities in the emotional area such as fears or mood lability.
108 people reported relationship problems, which is fewer than in previous years.
Koch: "We registered more registrations because of fears, including fears of Corona."
Lockdown leads to extreme stress
The time when schools were closed was a special situation for all families: “Wherever there were many resources, families reported about new family times, about siblings who can find each other better again, and about slowing down.
Where it was already difficult before, the situation worsened, ”explains Kerstin Meier, psychologist at the counseling center, in the activity report.
The partial return to normalcy, especially the temporary school openings in September, would have brought relief for many.
“The renewed lockdown became an extreme burden for many who had just managed to reorient and stabilize themselves.
The resources often seem to be used up, ”reports Meier.