In the fight against child poverty, the traffic light parties are planning important innovations.
Millions of children in Germany should feel better with it in the future.
Berlin - The current Hartz IV rate * is tight - also for children of welfare recipients.
That should change with the traffic light coalition.
According to the plans in the exploratory paper, children are to receive separate insurance in the future.
A family currently receives 283 euros per month for a child up to the age of five if both parents receive Hartz IV *.
It is 309 euros for children up to 13 years of age and 373 euros for young people up to 17 years of age.
But it is hardly possible to check whether the money in the families actually reaches the children.
Hartz IV and Bürgergeld: traffic light parties are planning independent basic child security
Therefore, according to the exploratory paper, the Ampel-Coalition is planning a basic child benefit.
SPD *, Greens * and FDP * write: "In a restart of family support, previous benefits are to be bundled in a separate basic child protection model and paid automatically so that they reach the children without bureaucratic hurdles."
In this way, the parties want to “give children and young people better opportunities regardless of their parents' social situation.” The main goal is to get children out of poverty.
The explanations in the exploratory paper suggest that the basic child benefit should be paid out independently of the citizens' allowance.
Video: So many single parents get Hartz IV
Child poverty in Germany: the numbers are shocking
The current figures also show that this topic is of great importance.
According to the Bertelsmann Foundation, every fifth child under the age of 18 in Germany is affected by poverty.
That is 2.8 million children and young people.
And those numbers have long been at this alarmingly high level.
But how is it actually determined whether a child lives in poverty?
The welfare state makes the definition dependent on whether the parents receive social assistance such as Hartz IV.
Children who live with their Hartz IV receiving parents are therefore considered poor.
Basic child benefits: Money alone is not enough
The traffic light parties have recognized the problem of child poverty.
Therefore, with the basic security for children, they particularly want to support those “who need the most support”.
But experts warn that simply transferring money is not the solution.
The left-wing politician Carolin Butterwegge and her husband, political scientist and poverty researcher Christoph Butterwegge, said that, for example, all-day care should also be expanded.
This would make it easier for parents * to be fully employed.
The traffic light politicians also seem to be aware of this.
You write: “At the same time, we want to continue promoting daycare centers and (all-day) schools and strengthening education and participation offers."
(Ph) * Merkur.de is part of IPPEN.MEDIA.
