Overworked and underfunded ambulance services are causing concern among child welfare doctors.
Underfunding Puts German Child Protection Clinics Under Strain
Child protection clinics in Germany, including the Datteln Children's Protection Clinic, are facing financial difficulties due to underfunding and an increasing demand for care, according to Dr. Tanja Brünning, the clinic's head and chairperson of the German Society for Child Protection in Medicine.
The Datteln Children's Protection Clinic, which examines approximately 1,000 cases annually, has been struggling with uncertain funding for some time now. The clinic relies heavily on donations, with around €100,000 needed annually to stay afloat. This reliance on donations is alarming to Madeleine Zippro from the Lünen network "Woman".
The medical care of abused or neglected children in children's protection clinics is often not billable to health insurance companies, which further strains the financial situation of these facilities. Dr. Brünning has been demanding comprehensive funding for child protection clinics since 2022, but there has been no response from the federal government.
The cases at the Datteln Children's Protection Clinic come from various sources, including youth welfare offices, general practitioners, and hospital outpatient clinics from the Ruhr area, Münsterland, and the Rhineland. The demand for care in children's protection clinics is increasing, with a significant rise in physical abuse, neglect, overburdening of parents, and psychological abuse of children and young people, as confirmed by the current figures from the Federal Statistical Office.
The state financing of child protection clinics in Germany is typically covered through a combination of public funding by federal and state governments, health insurance funds, and cooperation with local youth welfare offices, often involving specific legislation such as the Cooperation and Information in Child Protection Act (KKG) to coordinate funding and responsibilities. However, the underfunding issue persists, with the German Society for Child Protection in Medicine based in Datteln raising an alarm about this issue for over two and a half years.
If the funding of medical child protection is not clearly regulated, the system will collapse, warns Dr. Brünning. Our website's inquiry to the Federal Ministry of Health regarding the funding of child protection clinics remains unanswered.
It's important to note that there are additional sources of information on youth welfare offices, child protection houses, and cases of sexual abuse in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) available on our website.
The increase in cases of suspected physical abuse from 6,349 in 2023 to 7,375 in 2024 underscores the need for adequate funding and resources for child protection clinics. Most of these cases must be examined in facilities like the Datteln Children's Protection Clinic to determine the extent of the abuse. The cases at the Datteln Children's Protection Clinic are varied, but especially severe cases are increasing, requiring a lot of time and appropriate staff.
The situation at the Datteln Children's Protection Clinic serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive funding and support for child protection clinics in Germany. As the demand for care continues to rise, it is crucial that these facilities are equipped to handle the influx of cases and provide the necessary care for children and young people who have been victims of abuse and neglect.
