Home education, other forms of assisted living (children, adolescents and young adults)

Guardians are entitled to assistance (for upbringing) in the upbringing of a child or adolescent if an education in the best interests of the child or adolescent is not guaranteed and the assistance is suitable and necessary for his or her development.

The nature and extent of the assistance depend on the educational needs of the individual case, taking into account the immediate social environment of the child or adolescent.

The assistance ultimately to be granted is determined in a so-called assistance plan procedure, in which at least the persons entitled to custody, the child or adolescent and the locally responsible youth welfare office are involved.

One possibility here is inpatient care in a home or inpatient education in another assisted living arrangement.

This includes a variety of forms of care: children's and youth homes, youth residential groups, family-analogous or family-integrative forms of living, assisted individual living, weekly groups, intensive groups, project centres at home and abroad, common forms of living for mothers/fathers and children, places of taking into care, etc.

In principle, SGB VIII aims to educate young people to become an independent and socially capable personality.

Inpatient education is intended to support children and adolescents in their development by combining everyday experience with educational and therapeutic offers. Depending on the age and stage of development of the young person and according to the possibilities of improving the educational conditions in the family of origin, the law provides 3 options:

1. try to return to the family
2. preparing education in another family
3. to offer a long-term way of life and to prepare for an independent life

Young people should also be advised and supported in questions of training and employment as well as general lifestyle.

The educational goals in detail are reserved for the above-mentioned help plan procedure.

Young adults should be given help for personal development and independent living, if and as long as the help is necessary due to the individual situation of the young person. As a rule, assistance is only granted until the age of 21.

This may also include home education or education in another form of assisted living.

Contact persons can be found at the youth welfare office responsible for you.

§§ 1, 13, 19, 27, 33, 34, 35, 35a, 36 and 41 SGB VIII (Social Code - Eighth Book)