8b-Consulting
Service description
According to the Federal Child Protection Act, children and young people in our society are under special protection. All persons should work together in a so-called community of responsibility to ensure that the physical, emotional and mental well-being of children and young people is protected and that they can grow up well.
Sections 8a and 8b of Book VIII of the German Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch - Achtes Buch - Kinder- und Jugendhilfe) provide the necessary basis for this:
- the obligation to notify the responsible youth welfare office of any serious indications that a child's welfare is at risk
- the right to advice from an experienced specialist (child protection specialist) as part of a risk assessment
The right to counseling according to § 8b SGB VIII
The aim of counseling in accordance with Section 8b SGB VIII is to achieve certainty at an early stage when assessing whether a risk exists or could exist.
An 8b consultation must take place with the involvement of an experienced child protection specialist.
All persons who work with children and young people are entitled to counseling. This includes professionals who belong to youth welfare organizations, so-called professional and official confidants, such as doctors, teachers, midwives, psychologists and social workers or educators (this is regulated in § 4 KKG - Law on Cooperation and Information in Child Protection). The 8b consultation is part of the risk assessment.
Professionals who belong to youth welfare organizations are obliged, in accordance with concluded agreements, to seek advice in accordance with Section 8b SGB VIII before reporting a risk to a child's welfare. In addition, professionals should discuss the situation together with the affected child and the person with custody rights and work to prevent the risk by seeking help.
If an 8a notification is required (in the event of acute danger, after a risk assessment), the professionals must contact the general social services of the youth welfare office of the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, Tel.: 02832 122 852.