Professional Exchange on Education and Participation (BuT) in Schwalmtal

Strengthening Partnerships, Creating Synergies

Text last updated: 2026-09-10

Working Together for Greater Equality of Opportunity

Education and social participation are essential prerequisites for equal opportunities for children and adolescents. Despite a wide range of support services, barriers to accessing educational, recreational, cultural, and participatory opportunities persist. In particular, not all eligible families are sufficiently aware of the services offered by the Education and Participation Package (BuT), or they do not take advantage of them for various reasons. At the same time, numerous institutions and organizations are active in this field, and their collaboration and exchange of information can be further strengthened.

Improving Educational and Participation Opportunities

In 2024, a professional exchange between the Viersen District Youth Welfare Office and the municipality of Schwalmtal—which is part of the district—regarding the transition to daycare led to the idea of establishing regular meetings among various stakeholders on the topic of “Education and Participation.”

Since then, the participants have been meeting regularly. They discuss current issues, share information, and develop joint solutions to further increase the uptake of “Education and Participation” services.

Objectives of the Professional Exchange

The cross-institutional meetings aim to

to promote exchange among the participating local stakeholders,
make existing services and structures transparent,
to identify needs, challenges, and areas requiring action at an early stage,
to strengthen collaboration and communication among the participating institutions,
to create synergies and opportunities for cooperation,
to develop joint solutions and recommendations for action to improve educational and participation opportunities,
facilitate access to the services included in the education and participation package, and
to devise concrete measures to improve the uptake of these services.

Participants

Viersen District Social Services Office – Special Social Services
Viersen District Job Center – Education and Participation
Viersen District Youth Welfare Office – Child Day Care and Youth Welfare Planning
Family Affairs Officer and Department Head for the Municipality of Schwalmtal
St. Matthias Refugee and Asylum Assistance, Schwalmtal
Municipal Integration Center, Viersen District
Schwalmtal Asylum Circle

Daycare centers and schools in Schwalmtal have the opportunity to submit questions or topics to the participants of the exchange meeting. These will be included in the sessions whenever possible.

Key Topics

Access to Educational and Participation Services
- Awareness and visibility of BuT services
- Information and counseling for families
- Improving information and communication channels
- Removing barriers to access
- Equal opportunity and social participation
- Accessibility and use of existing services

Cooperation Among the Participating Institutions
- Cooperation between the participating institutions
- Responsibilities and procedural workflows
- Exchange on current developments
- Identification of gaps in care
- Development of joint measures and projects

Organization and Operations

The exchange meetings take place twice a year, each lasting about two hours. The family liaison officer for the municipality of Schwalmtal is responsible for organizing and facilitating the meetings.

The meetings serve as a forum for professional exchange, the sharing of current information, and the joint discussion of relevant topics related to the education and participation package. A fixed agenda is intentionally avoided to allow for flexible discussion of current issues and the needs of the participating stakeholders. This allows for practical topics to be raised immediately and addressed collaboratively.

The key findings are documented and subsequently made available to the participants.

Results

Through professional exchange,

the networking among the participating stakeholders is strengthened in a sustainable manner,
information channels as well as coordination and procedural workflows will be improved,
responsibilities and services will be made more transparent,
joint priorities and solutions have been developed,
further expand cooperation among the participating institutions,
identified and, where possible, removed barriers to accessing the services of the Education and Participation Package (BuT), and
in the long term, the use of BuT services—and thus the educational and participation opportunities for children, adolescents, and their families in the municipality of Schwalmtal—has been improved.

Project Name:
Professional Exchange on Education and Participation (BuT) in the Municipality of Schwalmtal

Topic/Focus:
Services Included in the Education and Participation Package

Age:
Children and young adults (up to age 25)

Location:
Schwalmtal (Viersen District)

Contact:
You can reach the contact persons by phone at 02163/946192 or by email at anna.zscherpe@schwalmtal.de.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, about 25% of all children and adolescents under the age of 18 are at risk of poverty. The Education and Participation Package was introduced to create a material foundation for equal opportunities. Read here to find out why it is important to promote education and participation.

What are the reasons why families do not take advantage of the BuT benefits to which they are entitled? The Familienportal.NRW presents studies and resources that address the issue of service utilization, outline challenges faced in local government practice, and discuss potential solutions to increase the use of BuT services.