03.09.2024 | Successful start of the project “Being there for children” – Care talents still sought
Project “Being there for children” – Care in Ravensburg and Leutkirch
The new project “Being There for Children” by the St. Elisabeth Foundation was successfully launched six months ago. The project, which is funded by the Ravensburg district and the Friedrich Schiedel Foundation, offers flexible care for children who suddenly fall ill and are recovering, so that parents can continue to fulfill their obligations and attend work appointments. The service is available in Leutkirch and Ravensburg, as well as in the surrounding areas within a ten-kilometer radius.
Initiative by District Administrator Harald Sievers
The project was initiated by Harald Sievers, the district administrator of the Ravensburg district. In Munich, he became aware of the project “Getting healthy at home”, which has successfully brought sick children and carers together for over 30 years. A good 60 carers work there together for up to 1,000 times a year. “There is a need for this in our region too.” Harald Sievers is convinced of the concept. “That is why we are also using this model to support parents in emergency situations in the Ravensburg district, to make it easier for them to combine work and family.”
Support and relief for families and single parents
The St. Elisabeth Foundation launched the project under the name “Being There for Children”. The aim is to provide families with short-term and flexible care when their children suddenly fall ill – for example when recovering from a cold, a broken leg or a headache. “Many families – especially single parents without a network – quickly reach their limits in this situation,” says Ann-Kathrin Nimz, one of the two coordinators of the project. “This is where we are on hand and offer loving care to sick and recovering children.”
The goal: If one or more children suddenly fall ill, parents can attend important work appointments or work from home and be confident that their daughter and son are in good hands at home. “If they have no alternative, parents sometimes take their child to daycare even though they are not quite at their best,” says Ann-Kathrin Nimz from her own experience – privately as a mother and professionally as a childhood educator. “But children should not have to push themselves to the limit. They should get well – and the best place to do that is at home.”
Getting to know each other
Of course, it is unusual to leave sick children in the care of strangers. “It demands a lot at first – we are fully aware of that. It is a lot about trust,” stresses Johanna Menz, who runs “Da-Sein für Kinder” together with Ann-Kathrin Nimz. She points to the positive experiences in Munich: “Families who have had a carer there once keep calling.” Getting to know each other plays an important role: the families receive a profile of the caring talents from the coordination office, who then contact the family by phone and a personal exchange precedes the deployment.
Support and promotion of helpers
Four trained women are now working in the “Being There for Children” project and lovingly care for the sick children at home. The helpers’ commitment is supported by continuous training. “We attach great importance to the training and close supervision of our volunteers – as well as to the selection of suitable candidates,” says Johanna Menz. A first aid course for children is one of the requirements for working with us.
Process and costs of care
The process at “Da-Sein für Kinder” is simple: parents contact the placement agency, the necessary data is recorded and a suitable carer is selected. This person contacts the parents personally and arranges everything else directly. After getting to know each other and exchanging information, the care lasts three to a maximum of eight hours a day.
The costs of care are borne by the parents: They consist of a tax-free fee for the helper’s work and a flat-rate reimbursement of travel expenses.
Committed carers wanted
Numerous families have already come forward looking for support. That is why the St. Elisabeth Foundation is still looking for committed women and men who want to devote time and attention to sick children – especially in view of the wave of illnesses expected in the autumn. Care is provided at the children’s homes. The commitment is flexible, and each “care talent” can individually control their availability.
Supported by the Friedrich Schiedel Foundation
The Friedrich Schiedel Foundation is funding the project so that the support of families through “Being There for Children” does not fail due to a lack of money. One of the foundation’s goals is to provide help for young, old, needy and sick people, as well as for children and expectant mothers. It is primarily active in the Ravensburg district, the home of the entrepreneur Friedrich Schiedel, who came from Bad Wurzach and died in 2001. “Our founder always paid attention to social benefits for his employees and their families in his companies,” says Roland Bürkle, board member of the Friedrich Schiedel Foundation. “In this tradition, we support social projects such as ‘Being There for Children’.”
Call for care talents
Interested “care talents” can contact the coordination and project management of the St. Elisabeth Foundation:
Contact and further information
Ann-Kathrin Nimz
Nikolausstrasse 10
88212 Ravensburg
Phone: 0751 977 1238 313
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web:
Press release from the St. Elisabeth Foundation dated 2 September 2024
Joy about the successful launch of “There for Children” (from left): Andrea Thiele (spokesperson for the St. Elisabeth Foundation), Harald Sievers (district administrator of the Ravensburg district), Johanna Menz (project coordinator and manager), Andrea Müller (head of the social planning department of the Ravensburg district), Ann-Kathrin Nimz (project coordinator and manager), Roland Bürkle (board member of the Friedrich Schiedel Foundation), Renate Weingärtner (head of the children-youth-family division of the St. Elisabeth Foundation). Photo: St. Elisabeth Foundation
