Expert Conference on Child Protection Focus on legal action security and good collaboration.

Oberbergischer Kreis. Approximately 100 professionals attended the expert conference "Legal Foundations, Data Protection, and Confidentiality in Child Protection" held at the Krawinkelsaal in Bergneustadt. The event was jointly organized by the five youth welfare offices of the Oberberg region and brought together employees from General Social Services with professionals from childcare facilities, schools, counseling centers, healthcare, police, and other actors from the social sphere.

The focus was on the legal foundations of the child protection mandate in cases of endangerment to a child's well-being, as well as issues of data protection and confidentiality. Speaker Prof. Dr. Rolf Jox provided practical insights and demonstrated how legal requirements can be safely applied in everyday work.

In child protection, situations often arise where swift yet legally secure action is required: For instance, a school notices significant changes in a child and becomes concerned about their well-being. This raises questions about which information can be shared with the youth welfare office, what conditions apply, and how the involved professionals should consider their respective roles and responsibilities. These questions were addressed during the conference and explored collectively from various perspectives.

"Child protection requires reliable structures, clear responsibilities, and good collaboration. As the Oberbergischer Kreis, we share responsibility with our partners to ensure children and young people are effectively protected. Regular professional exchange is an important building block for this," emphasized Social Department Head Ralf Schmallenbach.

In addition to the district youth welfare office of the OBK, the four municipal youth welfare offices of Gummersbach, Radevormwald, Wiehl, and Wipperfürth also regard interdisciplinary exchange as a vital component of effective child protection. The network coordinators of the five youth welfare offices jointly explained: "Child protection works well when the involved parties understand their respective tasks, capabilities, and limitations and remain in dialogue with one another. Our goal is to establish reliable cooperation structures and simultaneously strengthen the action security of all involved."

One participant highlighted the importance of professional exchange and summarized: "The expert conference showed that data protection and confidentiality in child protection don't have to be a dry topic. The guiding principle 'You may not process data—unless you may' vividly illustrated the importance of seeking a permission norm in specific cases to act legally securely. Practical case studies, room for questions, and shared exchanges made the content tangible. Time flew by—a sign of a thoroughly successful and dynamic expert conference for me."

Prof. Dr. Rolf Jox emphasized the practical importance of the topics: "In child protection, it's about combining legal action security with professional responsibility. A deeper understanding of data protection, confidentiality, and the respective tasks is a crucial basis for successful cooperation."