Bundesfamilienministerin Karin Prien (CDU) plans a comprehensive overhaul of child and youth services. The ministerial draft, which “Politico” reported in its Monday edition, says that to keep the system effective in the future, a wide‑scale reform of its structures is required.
Instead of providing primarily individual assistance, the proposal moves toward universal, package‑based offerings. The draft states that the individual legal right to guidance and support in child daycare facilities, schools, or universities under child‑raising or integration aid will be replaced by an infrastructural educational‑support provision.
It also proposes to transfer integration‑aid services from Book IX of the Social Code (SGB IX) into the child and youth care regime of Book VIII (SGB VIII). This would bring the benefits under a single umbrella. Currently, authorities often struggle with jurisdictional conflicts because they must distinguish between the nature of a disability and the reasons for support, a distinction that is difficult to enforce in practice.
The ministry expects the reform to deliver savings in the billions, primarily benefiting states and municipalities. However, significant effects will only materialise later, as many measures take time to take effect once structures are nationwide. The draft estimates savings of €200.6 million in 2028, rising to €2.7 billion per year by 2036.