Early aids

The "Early Help" concept has been implemented in the state capital Stuttgart since 2010. It offers services for parents from pregnancy and families with children up to the age of three. The aim is to work with parents to strengthen their responsibility for upbringing and thus enable children to develop healthily.

18.02.2025

A young woman stands in front of the Stuttgart skyline with her face turned down and a sleeping toddler tied in front of her torso.

Early prevention in Stuttgart is a city-wide task and is organized and coordinated by the municipal network for early prevention. (Symbol image)

Parents have access to a wide range of counseling, relief and support options on a voluntary basis in order to reduce risks to the child's well-being and development at an early stage.

Early prevention in Stuttgart is a city-wide task and is organized and coordinated by the municipal network for early prevention. The municipal network for early prevention in Stuttgart is social-space oriented and consists of a central network and eleven regional networks in the eleven city areas. The city-wide network aims to reach all parents early, make services easily accessible, strengthen transitions and cooperation between network actors, and expand or further develop services according to need. The coordination of the network is a continuing statutory task.

In order to identify the current needs and wishes of families, as well as the demands placed on them, several parent forums on early help have been held in recent years. In addition, this has made it possible to ensure the adaptation and further development of early help services in line with needs in the long term.

Framework concept for early assistancePDF-File 1,25 MB

According to the definition of the National Center for Early Intervention, early intervention is a local and regional support system with coordinated services for parents and children from the beginning of pregnancy and during the first three years of life.

The Federal Child Protection Act (Gesetz zur Kooperation und Information im Kinderschutz KKG), which has been in force since January 1, 2012, confirms and strengthens the objectives of the Stuttgart Early Intervention Framework.

Role of planning

The youth welfare planning department carries out the city-wide planning for early prevention in close cooperation with the central coordination of early prevention, with the specialist managers of the commissioned agencies and with representatives of the municipal and interdisciplinary early prevention network. New topics are identified, needs are recognized and conceptually worked on, training needs for professionals are recognized, and service structures are examined and further developed. Youth welfare planning steers the expansion of early prevention and is responsible for evaluating the services and for reporting to politicians or other bodies on the state of early prevention.

Current development topics

The Stuttgart Early Intervention Concept has proven its worth and the individual measures have become established in their implementation. Currently, there is an intensified exchange (both in terms of services and areas) in order to ensure the achieved quality of early prevention citywide.

In order to ensure that (expectant) parents continue to be informed at an early stage or can learn about and benefit from the counseling options and offers of early help in Stuttgart, the cooperation with the Stuttgart child and family centers, with the daycare centers, with the Job Center and the central administration of the Youth Welfare Office, such as the services of the child support advance fund and assistance, must be further deepened in terms of expertise.

The current situation, with a shortage of midwives, the closure of a maternity clinic (end of 2018) and an increasing city-wide shortage of pediatricians, currently requires very close dovetailing of early support with the health care system of the state capital. Within the framework of the quality workshops, the topics and needs are worked on in an interdisciplinary manner, planned and implemented in consultation with politics.

In order to provide parents with low-threshold access to the wide range of early intervention services, a website is currently being developed that will be kept up to date across all providers.

Welcome visit after birth

Contact persons for early support in the advice centers of the Youth Welfare Office

A good start for families - growing up healthy and secure in Stuttgart

Welcome breakfast

Family education in early support

State program STÄRKE

Voluntary offers for family relief and support

Relief can be provided with the voluntary offers. Volunteers can relieve the burden of everyday family life on an hourly basis or for a longer period of time, for example by assisting with visits to the authorities. Volunteer services do not replace any necessary professional assistance. The work of the volunteers is coordinated and supervised by full-time employees.

Wellcome

Wellcome has been offered citywide since 2009 for families who would like support in the first period after birth or who find themselves in a stressful situation, for example families with multiple births, families with siblings or mothers who are single parents and have no family support. The volunteer help takes place approximately twice a week for two to three hours each time during the first weeks and months after the birth. The cost to the family, if it is financially feasible for them, is 5.00€ per hour.

Contact: House of the Family (opens in a new tab)

Family sponsorships

This service provides voluntary support for families in stressful situations after the birth of a child over a longer period of time (up to one year). Family sponsors help, for example, with visits to the authorities, go to the family center or pediatrician. Coordinators place family sponsors with families, clarify the needs beforehand and qualify the family sponsors.

Contact: Catholic Women's Social Service (opens in a new tab)

Sponsorship program Time & Heart (0-3 years)

A voluntary accompaniment for newly arrived "young" families without the support of relatives, friends or acquaintances and also for "young" families with a migration background and little knowledge of German. The former name of the sponsor program was Initiative Z.

A German-speaking family sponsor takes care of "his" family on a voluntary basis for two to three hours a week. The godfather or godmother helps, for example, with visits to the authorities and homework or simply spends some of his or her own free time with the parents and their children. The support is intended for at least one year. A permanent coordinator at the parent seminar is responsible for placing the volunteers with the families with the aim of initiating a suitable elective relationship.

Further information and contact: Parents' Seminar

Family Support

This module also takes into account the fluid transitions from normality to short-term excessive demands to multiple stresses and risk situations. In terms of prevention, families should be reached as early as possible and access should be low-threshold. Currently, three family support services are available for families in Stuttgart.

Family support services provided by family midwives, pediatric nurses and caregivers, youth welfare office

Established family midwives and family nurses provide support to families on behalf of the youth welfare office. With the various professional groups in the field of early support, individualized support is possible. Families have different problems and therefore need different support services.

Family midwives, family pediatric nurses or family nurses initially come to the family for 20 hours to support families in the initial period. If necessary, a further 20 hours can be approved in consultation with the counseling centers.

Access to the service currently takes place mainly through counseling centers, maternity clinics, pregnancy counseling and established midwives. The prerequisite is that the family agrees to the contact.

Family pediatric nurses, public health department

The family pediatric nurses of the public health department support and accompany families in stressful and multiple stressful situations, especially those with health, social and economic disadvantages. This includes families with experience of violence, addiction problems, parental mental illness, young or underage mothers or in a difficult social situation. The family pediatric nurses at the health department have the qualification of a "specialist in child protection". They work closely with the youth welfare office, hospitals, doctors, psychologists, social pedagogues and midwives as well as many different institutions such as the Office for Social Affairs and Participation, early intervention centers, addiction support, pregnancy counseling centers and daycare centers.

The service is aimed at parents with children from birth until they start school. Advice and support are free of charge and are mainly provided via home visits and telephone contacts. Support is provided for as long as the family needs it.

Contact: Family Pediatric Nurses Health Department

Family Support Team

The family support offer is part of the cooperation offer "Good start for families - growing up healthy and secure in Stuttgart" and it is specifically aimed at Stuttgart parents after their stay in the maternity hospital. The Team Family Support offer is carried out by two teams:

Team Family Support (opens in a new tab), Caritasverband in Stuttgart e.V./"Sonnenkinder".

Team Family Support (opens in a new tab), Evangelische Gesellschaft e.V. "eva".

Each team has an area responsibility so that city-wide family support can be offered. The family's place of residence determines the responsibility of the provider. Access to the offer takes place via the "Guter Start"/"Sonnenkinder" staff in the Stuttgart maternity clinics or parents contact the teams directly after their stay in the maternity clinic.

A good start for families - growing up healthy and secure in StuttgartPDF-File 1,12 MB

Downloads and links

Offers and information for young families

For parents and interested parties: Visit the website "Frühe Hilfen in Stuttgart", for families with children aged 0-6 years. Discover the diversity of early help in Stuttgart.

Visit the website www.fruehehilfen-stuttgart.de

State capital Stuttgart