Youth protection folder presented

Children and young people deserve the special protection of our society. One of the main tasks of educational work is therefore to protect their well-being. In their day-to-day work with children and young people, educational professionals experience them in all their facets and, in addition to being a professional point of contact, also provide support with the many developmental tasks that adolescence in particular entails.

As part of this socialization task, they are also advisors and, in their role, the first point of contact in situations of danger.

They should therefore be able to recognize the dangers and offer adequate support options. They are also mouthpieces, representatives and mediators in other networks. Discussions with parents play a role here, as do individual counseling sessions.

Supporting educational professionals

In addition to a broad range of knowledge, educational professionals therefore also need in-depth knowledge of the conditions, forms and effects of threats and phenomena that today's society brings with it. The pandemic in particular has exacerbated many existing problems.

Many studies on the effects of the pandemic make this clear. Mental stress and crises, digital media use and addictive behavior are the most important topics mentioned, along with lack of exercise and nutrition.

If you ask young people about their media usage behavior, for example, they are very good at navigating the digital media world and they also use it, but they often know too little about the risks and dangers. This is where parents and educational professionals are in particular demand. Knowledge and education are needed on all sides.

Bundled handout

In addition to the existing professional networks, various opportunities for further training and the various working groups and committees, the youth protection folder is intended to serve as a bundled guide to support educational professionals in their day-to-day work. It provides an overview of particularly challenging issues that may pose a risk to the welfare of children. It represents a recommendation and supplement to the help already used in everyday work.

The protection of children and young people must be implemented primarily in a preventative manner in order to identify potential risks at an early stage and reduce or prevent them as far as possible. The focus of educational work is primarily on strengthening the personality as part of the general educational, training and care mandate.