Mission Statement Child Protection

Mission Statement Child Protection

of the District Youth Welfare Office Oberbergischer Kreis

Principles and Explanations

Preamble

The protection of children and young people from any form of violence is the primary goal of the work of the District Youth Welfare Office Oberbergischer Kreis.

Section 8a - Duty to Protect in Cases of Child Endangerment - of the German Social Code Book Eight on Child and Youth Welfare and the Federal Child Protection Act in conjunction with the Law on Cooperation and Information in Child Protection form the legal basis of our work.

The legal tasks are further developed by the Child and Youth Strengthening Act and the State Child Protection Act of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in the sense of effective child protection.

The District Youth Welfare Office has formed a cross-departmental working group to develop the mission statement and guidelines for protection concepts, which examines the issue of child protection from various perspectives. We continuously review our mission statement and update it as necessary.

Our mission statement on child protection is aimed at all employees of the District Youth Welfare Office and anchors the principles for the protection of young people to strengthen our shared stance on child protection.

In cooperation with independent providers of public child and youth welfare and other partners, it is important to us that their fundamental stance on child protection aligns with our six principles.

Guiding Principles of Child Protection in Six Core Tenets

Respectful and Appreciative Attitude
(We treat every person with respect)

The foundation of our actions is a respectful and appreciative attitude. We consider the individual life situations of children, adolescents, and families in their entirety and strengthen their abilities and resources. We value the competence and experience of independent organizations in public child and youth welfare, as well as other cooperation partners.

Community of Responsibility
(We work together to protect children and adolescents)

The internal and external stakeholders in child protection form a community of responsibility. Effective child protection is based on an interdisciplinary understanding of this community of responsibility. This involves integrating and utilizing the various competencies and structures of all participants in child protection and fostering constructive collaboration.

Participation
(We enable children, adolescents, and their families to have a say)

The participation of children, adolescents, and families is a fundamental principle of the protection mandate to ensure transparency, involvement, and solution-orientation. We involve children, adolescents, and families according to this principle in all matters concerning them, in a manner that is comprehensible, understandable, and perceptible to them. In particular, we support children and adolescents in exercising their rights.

Children's Rights
(We place the rights of children and adolescents at the center of our work)

Our pedagogical work is based on the protection rights of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which account for the particular vulnerability of children and adolescents. Children and adolescents are autonomous individuals and have their own right to have their interests recognized.

Diversity Awareness
(We advocate for diversity and openness)

Diversity and inclusion are to be understood as complementary: For the successful inclusion of people, we dismantle the social and structural barriers that arise from diversity. We respect individual and cultural diversity regardless of gender, origin, sexuality, age, religion, disability, and chronic illnesses, and we promote equal opportunities that are oriented towards life phases and families.

Protection of Children and Adolescents
(We aim to help children and adolescents in emergencies and protect them from violence)

The goal of our work is to protect children and adolescents from physical, psychological, and sexualized violence. As a result, we regularly engage in further training on all forms of risk. We address issues of power, violence, proximity, distance, and criticism, and develop our code of conduct from these considerations. Each department has its own framework for action to protect against violence and abuse of power by employees.