The Awo Saxony-Anhalt is in favor of strengthening social work in kindergartens. "Daycare social work is a form of prevention to avoid endangering children's well-being," said Tom Bruchholz from the state youth work of the Awo of the dpa. Educators need more support in everyday life, especially in institutions with a high proportion of needy families, he said. These could be daycare social workers.

Bruchholz is one of the speakers at the child protection conference of the network against child poverty on Monday in Magdeburg. According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, the number of procedures for assessing a possible endangerment of children in Saxony-Anhalt has more than doubled within ten years. While the youth welfare offices initiated a total of 5036 procedures last year, in 2012 there were still 2315 procedures.

According to Awo, there are currently 137 specialists in Saxony-Anhalt who support educators in facilities with special needs. In addition to the normal day-to-day life of the day-care center, these would help the children, for example, with language acquisition and support parents in applying for social benefits. However, the financing of the positions is not secured in the long term, said Bruchholz. You have to address this with politicians.

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