Authors: René Gordon Holzheimer, Detlef Ballhorn.
Introduction: Violence against children and young people: recognizing and acting of the Bavarian State Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (StMAS), physicians are requested to act with the involvement of the youth welfare office (YWO) to protect the child's well-being. The handling of the welfare of children by the YWO may be of relevance for citizens from the USA and European countries in case of joint custody.
Methods: The Bavarian State Youth Welfare Office (BSYWO) published on 15.03.2006 recommendations for the local youth welfare offices in Bavaria on how to react to threats to the child’s welfare. Guidelines of the BSYWO set the path for the local YWO on how to analyze and decide in every single case of child welfare endangerment. Examples of how the local youth welfare office doesn’t comply with the guidelines are presented. The analysis of the application may reflect the observance of the recommendations of the state youth welfare office by the local youth welfare office. Since the YWO is designated as the "central contact" in the event of a suspected threat to the welfare of the child, the guidelines of the state YWO are particularly important when implementing the legal requirements and case law.
Results: These targets of the BSYWO are suitable to reduce the suffering of the children, provided they are applied correctly by the YWO. However, the guidelines may have been ignored and the child’s welfare may have been damaged.
Conclusion: The basic goal of youth welfare, to help young people and their families, would be changed into its opposite, especially if by the measures of the youth welfare office the young person has been harmed to such an extent that his livelihood and future would have been endangered. The credibility of an institution that is important for the family and children would be damaged by a lack of transparency and the embezzlement of files.