Utilization of education and participation benefits

The welfare state offers comprehensive support to ensure a livelihood and participation in social life. However, many people do not claim the social benefits to which they are entitled. The study "The non-utilization of social benefits from the perspective of the administration" examines this phenomenon in eight guideline-based expert interviews. A reduction in bureaucracy, greater proximity to citizens, low-threshold offers and a less complex benefits system could improve the working conditions of the administration and at the same time speed up the examination of applications.

The study "Barriers to the use of monetary benefits for families" by the German Youth Institute (DJI) looks at the non-utilization of monetary benefits, focusing in particular on the barriers to utilization for migrants.

The publication "Empirical Findings on the Education and Participation Package: Focus on Participation Rates" by the Paritätischer Gesamtverband is intended as a contribution to the debate on reducing bureaucracy and significantly expanding participation opportunities for children and young people.

The study "Children and young people living in poverty" by the German Institute for Interdisciplinary Social Policy Research (DIFIS) provides an overview of the situation of children and young people living in material poverty, taking regional differences into account. The background, challenges and potential for action for a preventive social policy at local level are presented.

The "opinion of the office of the German Association for Public and Private Welfare on the draft bill of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth for a draft law on the introduction of basic child protection and amending other provisions".

Families often find it difficult to keep track of the various entitlements to benefits and to apply for them from the relevant authorities. For example, benefits are not applied for even though they are entitled to them. Or benefits are applied for, but the application forms are filled out incorrectly.

The Federal Statistical Office (StBA) has examined examples of good practice as part of the project "Applications for benefits for children in low-income families" in order to effectively support the further development of administrative action.

The "Recommendations of the German Association for the Implementation of Benefits for Education and Participation" are intended to serve as a working aid for practitioners when implementing the regulations on the education and participation package. If the legal regulation can lead to different interpretations, the presentation of the pros and cons argumentation offers a decision-making aid.

The study "Education and participation services in the prevention chain" presents, among other things, solutions for municipal practice that have emerged as good practice approaches in a municipal comparison.

The publication "Passgenau? Bessere Kinderteilhabe durch Pass-Systeme" by the Heinrich Böll Foundation examines, among other things, the extent to which passport systems have the potential to simplify the use of existing BuT benefits, supplement them sensibly and expand them.

Pass systems in municipalities include, for example:

• passes that only administer BuT benefits
• reduction passes that enable such benefits independently of the education and participation package and
• extended social passes that also offer access to other services from public and private providers.

The task of the Federal Audit Office is to audit the entire budgetary and economic management of the federal government, including its special funds and enterprises. In addition to the Federal Government, it must report on its findings directly to the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat on an annual basis.

You can find the Federal Court of Audit's 2016 observations on the budgetary and economic management of the federal government (including the findings on the 2015 annual accounts) here

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From 2013 to 2016, the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) conducted a multidimensional research project to evaluate the use and local implementation of benefits for education and participation: Is the intention of the legislator being fulfilled? Are the benefits being received by those entitled to them? And what factors influence this?"

For the final report: "Evaluation of the nationwide utilization and implementation of benefits for education and participation".

You can download an abridged version here.

The Monitor Family Research of the Federal Ministry for Families, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (2012) "The education and participation package: opportunities for children from families with child supplement" presents the results of the evaluation of the use, assessment and impact of the education and participation package for families who receive child supplement. It also provides information about the families who use the child supplement - about the number of children, level of education, employment situation and other socio-demographic characteristics.