State Program “Kinderstark” – North Rhine-Westphalia Creates Opportunities

Many children and adolescents in North Rhine-Westphalia are at risk of poverty or are growing up in poverty. This limits their opportunities for healthy development, education, and social participation. At the same time, this results in high social and financial costs for local governments.

The state program supports the establishment and expansion of municipal prevention networks with the goal of enabling children and adolescents in North Rhine-Westphalia to grow up successfully, increasing their opportunities for participation, and reducing the negative consequences of growing up in poverty.

The “kinderstark” program helps local governments strengthen collaboration among various departments and better coordinate local support services for children, adolescents, and their families.

Building on early intervention services, local governments establish a joint network coordination system for this purpose. This system supports children from age four through their transition from school to the workforce or higher education. In doing so, it brings together the relevant local departments and institutions and better coordinates existing services. This includes, in particular, services in the areas of health, education, child and youth welfare, urban development, and social services. The result is a reliable network that provides children, adolescents, and their families with as seamless support and guidance as possible.

In addition, “kinderstark” supports initiatives at facilities in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These include, for example:

• Family Elementary School Centers: Funding is provided to establish support services for families with elementary school-aged children. The goal is to empower parents in their role as their children’s educational partners. Parents and schools should work together to ensure that all children have good educational opportunities.
• Referral services in maternity and pediatric hospitals: They help identify families’ support needs at an early stage. If necessary, they refer families to appropriate information, counseling, and support services for the postpartum period.
• Navigation services in medical practices: Navigation services can also be funded in pediatric and adolescent medicine practices, gynecological and dental practices, as well as other medical facilities. They help identify stressors in families at an early stage and connect them with appropriate support services. Healthcare and youth welfare services work closely together on this.
• Municipal family offices: Funding is provided for equipment purchases, minor construction projects, and the conceptual development of family offices. As easily accessible points of contact, they provide information and counseling to families and, when necessary, refer them to additional support services.
• Outreach Services: Funding is provided for the expansion of services that reach families directly in their living environments and are linked to existing facilities. These services are aimed in particular at families facing difficult life situations, such as poverty, recent immigration, chronic illnesses, or disabilities affecting children or parents.