The district's “network coordination for child protection” submits its report.
District Administrator Stefan Frey is satisfied: "We already have a good foundation in the district and many committed people who take care of successful child protection."
District - It is always good to be a pioneer - especially when it comes to really good contact points such as the specialist center for child protection that the Starnberg district has set up. The office officially called “Network Coordination Child Protection” means a lot of work and responsibility for Christina Fuchs. This week she presented her work to the youth welfare committee.
The position was decided at the end of 2019 and filled in autumn 2020. Christina Fuchs, herself a pedagogue and most recently active in family counseling, wants to network everyone who works in child protection and thus increase effectiveness. In essence, it is about discovering neglect, mistreatment or even abuse of children as early as possible and also taking action. Not only did the families play an important role, the district announced, but also the careful observation by employees in care facilities, schools, volunteer work, medical practices or even child and youth welfare. Research has shown that it is particularly important that the agencies and families involved work well together and that responsibilities are clarified. And information is important: "act hastily," said Fuchs in the committee,can be just as harmful as waiting too long.
Christina Fuchs has so far only analyzed the inventory, which is also good in the opinion of District Administrator Stefan Frey: “We already have a good foundation in the district and many committed people who take care of successful child protection.” Fuchs names an example from the Practice: “If an educator in kindergarten notices a change in behavior in the child and suspects that it is being neglected at home or is experiencing psychological, physical or sexual violence, she can discuss the case with a counselor, who is mediated by our coordination office, without giving names .
Together, steps are taken to consider how the child can be protected and how the family can be included.
The consultation is free and takes place within a few days. "
Expand the pool of skilled workers for more advice
There is a lot on Christina Fuchs' list: She wants to expand the pool of skilled workers, i.e. provide experts for advice on various aspects. That should happen quickly, because as a result of the pandemic, she expects more inquiries when schools and daycare centers are back to normal. She also wants to develop standards for this advice, bring the documentation to a level, establish or improve contact with institutions. In May there was already a round for child minders. Fuchs will also promote all of this within the district office. “What is essential, however, is good networking, cooperation between those involved in order to establish preventive structures that protect children per se and allow them to grow up healthy. This is exactly where the new department comes in, ”emphasized Frey.
Also on the list are events and training series as well as support for schools, for example, when they want to start prevention projects.
Fuchs will work closely with the existing Coordinating Child Protection Unit (KoKi), which has now been renamed the Early Childhood Coordination Unit for a clearer public image, as the district announced.
That is also more appropriate, because the KoKi approach is purely preventive and is aimed at the families themselves. Christina Fuchs, on the other hand, deals primarily with the supervisors and the facilities.
"The project is a rarity in Bavaria," emphasized Holger Engelke, Head of Children, Youth and Family in the District Office, at the meeting.
"We can imagine a lot on that."
