Youth welfare planning

Modern child and youth welfare services are confronted with a series of challenges from past, present and future social developments.

• The development and assurance of quality
• Demographic change
• the management of scarce resources
• Questions of cooperation, e.g. with schools or the health system, other institutions and services
• Cooperation with the School Development and Social Planning Department

are examples of central framework conditions and requirements facing child and youth welfare services.

Youth welfare planning is a central instrument for planning, structural development and resource management and must position and develop itself accordingly. This requires the cooperation of the professional and political bodies, the public youth welfare agency and the voluntary youth welfare organisations and all socially responsible people.

Furthermore, within the scope of their planning responsibility, the public youth welfare agency has to

1. determine the stock of facilities and services,
2. identify the needs, taking into account the wishes, needs and interests of the young people and the guardians for a medium-term period; and
3. plan the projects necessary to meet the needs in a timely and sufficient manner.