The Zerbster Kindertafel boss Birgit Brandtscheit fears bad things for the children if her facility is closed for longer.
Zerbst l The volunteers around Kindertafel manager Birgit Brandtscheit endeavor to offer the children meaningful leisure activities such as help with homework, sport, swimming, learning, environmental activities, excursions or reading, handicraft, cooking and baking afternoons as well as vacation trips or visits to the zoo, cinema or To offer cultural events.
A few days ago, Birgit Brandtscheit took part in an online discussion with the head of state – for the second time. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wanted to know from her what has changed since the last video entry and whether the situation for the children affected has possibly become even more serious since they can no longer use the children’s table due to the pandemic.
Families overwhelmed because of homeschooling
Birgit Brandtscheit spoke of excessive demands and a huge problem with homeschooling. “I know families where nothing is done about this, nothing at all. The parents say I can’t, so I won’t do it, period! ”Explained Brandtscheit. The children are at home but are not learning. “I think that especially children from families like this fall down,” she feared.
She cannot understand what is going on in the minds of these parents who let their children’s school tasks drag on. “The children themselves miss the children’s table very much. I experience this every day with phone calls, letters or pictures that the children send me, ”says the head of the children’s table.
Child had to be placed in the home
Brandtscheit: “We have a Whatsapp group. Every day my protégés ask when they can come back. Others stand in front of the door crying and miss playing, cooking and reading together. It breaks my heart to have to send her away, ”she explained to the head of state.
Steinmeier asked whether she had seen particularly dramatic cases in the past few weeks, such as excessive demands. “Yes! One child had to be taken out of the family and was initially placed in the home. Two other children are now ‘tipping over’ and one child is back in a third family. But here it is questionable whether it can stay that way, ”Brandtscheit pointed out to the precarious situation of some children.
Social contacts are missing
Especially families with several children are overwhelmed with the situation. “The social contacts are missing. The children are permanently at home, the parents are permanently at home, it is becoming increasingly aggressive. Sometimes even violence plays a role in some families and hopelessness spreads because people see no end, ”is the picture that Brandtscheit drew.
The Ministry of Social Affairs in Magdeburg knows about the needs of many children and young people. “In addition to the financial aid programs such as social protection packages I and II, the emergency child allowance, the child bonus or support for single parents, the social concerns of children and young people are very important and therefore high priority for the state government,” writes a ministry spokesman People’s voice demand.
Emergency support in case of problems
For emergency care in day-care centers, the youth welfare offices have the option of allowing children to continue to attend the day-care center if there is a corresponding educational need. “This possibility is also used in the districts. The measures mentioned in the request, such as the children’s table in Zerbst or, for example, the ‘Arche’ in other cities, are offers that are offered on the one hand as a soup kitchen offer and on the other as offers of open child and youth work and thus as measures can be classified as free child and youth welfare, ”explains the spokesman.
Thus, these offers can be implemented in compliance with the current containment ordinance and in particular with consideration of distance and hygiene rules. “The challenge with regard to the implementation of such offers is currently to find constructive solutions on site that do justice to the different interests and the existing legal mandates of the social security codes,” emphasizes the spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Cooperate with youth welfare office and the district
One solution to opening the children’s table could be that the institution’s sponsoring association contacts the youth welfare office of the city of Zerbst or the district in order to advise possible solutions for completing the children’s table.
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