Время Науки. 2016.Выпуск 2 -The Times of Science

Ruth Remmel-Faßbender Рут Реммель-Фасбендер 6 №2 Ruth Remmel-Faßbender Catholic University of Applied Sciences, Mainz «EARLY PREVENTION» IN CHILD PROTECTION – INTERVENTION CONCEPTSFOR SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND SINGLE PARENTS WITH COMPLEX PROBLEMS Introduction In 2013, the youth welfare offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) removed 42,100 children from their parents. These children are housed in residential institutions such as living groups, homes or foster families, or in individual cases with relatives. A strain on one or both parents, resulting from child-rearing, is the most frequently cited reason (40%) for children being taken away from the family (see German Federal Statistics Office 2014). The numbers are a cause for concern, not least because the figures for outreach services provided by youth welfare over the last 20 years have increased dramatically. Social developments (an increase in emergency financial situations, the rising number of single parents, greater numbers of parents with a migrant background, a lack of familial social support, and many more besides) are leading to extensive strain within numerous families, and this can have a negative effect on the development of the child. The early detection of support needs is therefore essential, in order to safeguard the welfare of the child. Many families are struggling with stress factors: For example the psychological illness of a parent, sudden unemployment, the birth of a disabled child, a work-related move to an unfamiliar city without the previously trusted social networks. These families are more dependent on support than other parents. Challenges during the first year of a child's life can affect anyone, entirely irrespective of education and skills. Furthermore, since 2005 the phenomenon of childhood deaths within the first few years of life has become a matter of public interest. At times, the newspapers have been filled with sensational reports on the deaths of children resulting from neglect or abuse, such as Kevin (a case in Kiel) and Lea Sophie (a case in Hamburg). Recently, in December 2015, 12 month old Tayler died in Hamburg as a result of violent treatment at the hands of his parents, although a family social education worker had visited the family just a few days beforehand, and the child had already been placed with a foster family once as a result of at- risk situations (Zeit-online dated the 22.12.2015). This demonstrates that