Youth Services Planning

Scope of Responsibilities and Working Methods

Youth welfare planning is the central strategic tool for the qualitative and quantitative planning and management of child and youth welfare services. It is a statutory obligation and the instrument prescribed by law through which the public youth welfare agency, as part of its overall responsibility, must ensure that all requirements of SGB VIII are met (see State Youth Welfare Planning).

Youth welfare planning advocates for an urban infrastructure for young people and their families that contributes to maintaining or creating positive living conditions. Youth welfare planning operates through a network to coordinate key thematic areas and to integrate policy objectives into other planning sectors (youth work, urban development, urban planning). It is carried out as a cross-departmental and cross-committee activity in close cooperation with the specialized services of the Department of Education, Youth, Culture, and Sports and in coordination with other departments of the city administration and municipal agencies. Prerequisites for successful planning include networking and cooperative collaboration with independent youth welfare providers as well as with policy makers.

To ensure the necessary diversity of services, recognized independent youth welfare providers generally operate in all areas of youth welfare. The public youth welfare agency (Youth Welfare Department) bears overall responsibility for all programs and services in the field of local youth welfare. As part of youth welfare planning, the programs are planned and their content is coordinated.