Contrary to the original plan, the Federal Cabinet has not yet approved the draft for basic child welfare. Family Minister Paus said that her draft bill would be introduced in September.
Contrary to what was initially planned, the Federal Cabinet did not address basic child welfare today. The Federal Ministry for Family Affairs under Lisa Paus had originally signaled that the draft should be approved today.
“Politically everything is united”
Paus was convinced that her draft law would be launched by the federal government this month. It was “always planned” to pass the basic child security “in September,” the minister told the news portal “t-online”. “We’ll manage that too.”
It’s now just a matter of “legal and technical details” that still need to be clarified, said Paus. That is not unusual. “Politically everything is united.” The financing of basic child welfare has been clarified, it was said ARD morning magazine from the Family Ministry.
Months of wrestling with Lindner
SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dagmar Schmidt said Deutschlandfunk, it is a very complex and difficult legislative proposal. She would therefore prefer that the Bundestag receive a good and well-thought-out bill so that the same thing as with the heating law does not happen again.
Paus and Finance Minister Christian Lindner had struggled for months over the financing of basic child welfare and finally agreed on the details at the end of August. The federal government and the Bundestag still have to discuss the specific law.
Introduction planned for 2025
With the basic child security, family benefits such as child benefit, the child supplement and other benefits from the citizen’s benefit for children will be summarized, simplified and paid out automatically from 2025.
According to the plans, a guaranteed amount – the previous child benefit – should be paid to all families regardless of income. 2.4 billion euros are earmarked for the introduction in 2025.
BA considers the schedule to be unrealistic
However, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) does not currently consider the start date to be feasible. Significant changes to existing IT programs and interfaces are necessary, and new IT solutions must also be created. However, there is still no “administrative contractual legitimation” to even begin the work. In particular, there is no funding for this.
Paus now left it open as to whether basic child welfare can actually come into force on January 1, 2025. She referred to the BA, whose family fund is supposed to be responsible. We will talk to everyone involved and then set the implementation deadlines. “But one thing is clear: things have to happen quickly now,” said Paus.
Criticism from social associations
The Alliance for Basic Child Security stated that the stipulations made were not sufficient to provide basic security that would prevent poverty. The alliance, which has been campaigning for basic child security since 2009 with 20 member associations and 13 scientific supporters, demanded extensive improvements from the Bundestag.
Verena Bentele, President of the social association VdK and spokeswoman for the alliance, said: “It is the state’s task to provide all children with the financial resources necessary for them to grow up well if their parents cannot do this on their own.”
Diakonie President Ulrich Lilie said on behalf of the alliance: “The planned benefits per child are too low.” Many children also have no access to the services. Diakonie also called for the subsistence level of children to be recalculated.