About us

Child and youth welfare ombudsman services provide independent information, advice and assistance in the event of any conflicts with public or independent child and youth welfare organisations.

Comprehensive definitions, positions and quality criteria for ombudsman services can be found in our Mission Statement and Fact Sheet: Independence as a Key Quality Characteristic for Child and Youth Welfare Ombudsman Services.

Ombudsman services have been incorporated into child and youth welfare legislation through the newly reformed Section 9a German Social Code VIII (SGB VIII) since 10 June 2021.

Ombudsman services

Ombudsman services are a place where young people and families can receive independent information, advice and assistance in conflicts with child and youth welfare services. Most German federal states have ombudsman services in place acting as advisory bodies and complaints authorities. The following overview shows the ombudsman services that are part of the Federal Youth Welfare Ombudsman Network as well as all partner ombudsman services.

Federal Youth Welfare Ombudsman Network

The Federal Youth Welfare Ombudsman Network (Bundesnetzwerk Ombudschaft in der Jugendhilfe e.V.) is a group of independent ombudsman services in Germany. The network operates according to an agreed set of quality criteria for child and youth welfare ombudsmen and represents the interests and rights of young people and their families in matters involving child and youth welfare services.

Federal Coordination Centre

The Federal Coordination Centre for Child and Youth Welfare Ombudsman Services (Bundeskoordinierungsstelle Ombudschaft in der Kinder- und Jugendhilfe) is the point of contact for the network, collating practical experiences and information on the subject of the child and youth welfare ombudsman services and promoting and driving forward this topic from a professional and policy-related perspective.