Project partners from different institutions work closely together within the network in the preventative and interventional areas of child protection and coordinate their services.
The network includes representatives from the following professional groups and institutions: doctors, children's clinics, midwives, family midwives, welfare associations, advice centers, family education centers, day care centers, family centers, early intervention centers, women's shelters, schools, job centers, police, family courts and the prevention council.
According to city councillor Christa Frenzel, the establishment of the network is actually just a formality. A formality, because networking, including in the area of the "Early Help" network, has long been established practice in Salzgitter. However, with the passing of the Federal Child Protection Act and the Act on Cooperation and Information in Child Protection, cooperation has now been placed on a new footing, as before the amendment it was not possible to pass on information to the network partners in the event of child endangerment. With the creation of a central coordination office and the establishment of an "Early Help and Child Protection" network, it is now possible for the first time to bundle the various tasks of early preventative child protection and combine them into an interlocking support and advice network. "The law offers the opportunity to optimize our work," explained the city councillor. Help could be offered in a much more targeted way.
"I am hopeful that the network will reduce the number of cases of child endangerment and the necessary interventions we carry out," emphasized Dr. Roswitha Krum, Head of Children, Youth and Family Services. "The new law requires society to take a closer look," she added. The city of Salzgitter set up a "baby visiting service" at an early stage, providing a low-threshold help and information system for young parents shortly after the birth.
As part of a keynote speech, Petra Bremke-Metscher from the city of Oldenburg explained the structural and qualitative requirements for an early help network during the founding conference in Salzgitter. Martina Botzke from GEBIT in Münster presented the online information portal Fach- und Familieninformationssystem Frühe Hilfen (FIS), which was launched on April 10 by the Ministry of Social Affairs of Lower Saxony, as a way of providing low-threshold information on various early help services.