School social work: Valuable support in everyday school life

Created: 03/27/2022, 06:46

The district bears the costs of school social work at all district schools © Schäfer

Youth social work in schools makes an important contribution to the development of children and young people.

Demand is increasing – and with it the costs

District - At all secondary schools in the district, both the Society for the Promotion of Professional and Social Integration (gif) and the Diakonie Rosenheim provide "Youth social work in schools" (SaS) until the end of August 2027. According to this contractual regulation, which has been in force since March 2022 the two sponsors will receive a total of 2.7 million euros for their work.

This corresponds to an annual expenditure volume of around 492,000 euros, with 5.5 full-time positions now being available instead of the previous four specialists.

The youth social work at schools (SaS) is one of the so-called “voluntary tasks” of the district and is financed from its own funds.

The social pedagogues working here work at the district schools, the secondary schools in Ebersberg, Markt Schwaben and Poing as well as the grammar schools in Grafing, Markt Schwaben, Vaterstetten and Kirchseeon.

The social pedagogues are available to advise students, parents and teachers when problems arise.

The concept of the SaS is based on the concept of "youth social work in schools" (JaS), which is offered at elementary and secondary schools and support centers.

In addition to the general "youth social work in schools", students can also receive support based on a regulation in accordance with the Social Security Code (SGB VIII), in order to be encouraged "in their individual and social development".

This is intended to avoid or even reduce disadvantages.

A professional diagnosis is a prerequisite for taking advantage of this offer.

This support can also be provided selectively in the form of so-called school support.

"This is a mandatory task of the district youth welfare office in Ebersberg, which is to be provided according to the individual needs of the child or young person," explained Christian Salberg, head of the district youth welfare office.

Here, too, the costs have risen significantly in the past five years.

It was observed that this increase was to be found in all types of school.

In the special educational support centers, too, "this help was increasingly being used".

Salberg bases this development on "an increasing number of children and young people with behavioral problems, for whose support and care the existing pedagogical concepts and the training of the teachers are not sufficient".

While "in 2017 there were still 26 students who took advantage of school support, according to statistics from February 2022, this number had already risen to 50 cases".

Salberg predicted a further increase by the end of the year.

The costs for school support in 2017 were almost 370,000 euros, last year they were already 712,000 euros.

The costs could not be reduced by pool solutions or the care of two children by a school companion.

And so Salberg gave politicians the homework that “the school system would have to be increased in terms of staff and also conceptually and pedagogically put in a position to support and look after all pupils, regardless of their personal characteristics”.

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