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Together for the future: New mission statement for schools and youth welfare in Berlin!
Katharina Günther-Wünsch and Elvira Berndt sign a mission statement in Berlin for cooperation between youth welfare and schools to strengthen educational opportunities.
Together for the future: New mission statement for schools and youth welfare in Berlin!
On November 13, 2025, Katharina Günther-Wünsch, the Senator for Education, Youth and Family, and Elvira Berndt, the chairwoman of the State Youth Welfare Committee, signed a new mission statement for cooperation between youth welfare and schools in Berlin. This groundbreaking document defines the principles for effective cooperation and focuses on child and youth orientation, multi-professional cooperation and the development of common concepts and structures.
The aim of the mission statement is to strengthen educational and upbringing opportunities for all children and young people. Günther-Wünsch emphasizes the community of responsibility between youth welfare services and schools and emphasizes that optimal conditions for development and educational success can only be created through close cooperation. Berndt adds that youth welfare acts as a crucial partner for schools, especially in areas such as all-day care, co-determination, networking and crisis intervention.
Institutional support and inclusion
With the start of the school year, coordinated support for students with disabilities became more mandatory. A new administrative regulation on school inclusion assistance ensures more clarity and transparency regarding the services offered and communication with guardians. In the future, an additional implementing regulation is planned to coordinate needs assessments between the youth welfare offices and regional advice centers (SIBUZ).
The cooperation between youth welfare and schools is not only shaped by the legal framework, such as the Child and Youth Welfare Act (KJHG, SGB VIII), but also by various cooperation models that have been developed since the early 2000s, especially in the context of the PISA debate. A policy document from the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs addresses obstacles to cooperation and describes the need to intensify cooperation.
School social work and its importance
Social work in schools is aimed at all students and aims to promote individual and social development. It helps to reduce social and educational disadvantages. Social workers work at all types of schools, especially high schools and all-day schools. Their tasks are based on the needs of the children and the quality standards of youth welfare.
The legal basis for school social work is anchored in SGB VIII and the respective Brandenburg Children and Youth Act. Social work is a fundamental part of the school's educational mission, but operates independently and is dependent on binding cooperation between school and youth welfare services. In addition, full-day programs at schools are only possible if at least three extracurricular partners are involved in order to meet the students' leisure interests and social-educational needs.
In summary, the signed agreements and the new mission statement offer a solid basis for closer cooperation between schools and youth welfare services in Berlin, which increases the chances of successful education and development for all children. These steps are particularly important in view of the demographic changes that are leading to a reduction in the number of young people in Brandenburg and resulting in longer journeys to school.