Regardless of which form of help for upbringing you apply for at the Youth Welfare Office, the first step is to draw up a help plan together with all those involved.

The help plan defines the cornerstones of the help:

• Need
  • Facts about your family (educational situation, economic circumstances, care of the child, physical and mental condition, etc.)
  • If you already have already made use of other support measures: What were they? Why was the help not successful?
  • Personal data sheet of your child (e.g. who are the parents, siblings, relatives, abnormalities, illnesses, allergies, vaccinations)
• Aim of the help measures
  • What should change as a result of the help?
  • What are the expectations of those involved?
• Type of help
  • Which services are considered necessary and suitable (e.g. socio-educational family support, full-time care, parenting support)?
  • Suggestions for action for parents, professionals, carers
  • Time horizon (how long should the help last?)
  • necessary benefits (e.g. care allowance, initial equipment, therapy costs, travel costs, financial support)

Hint: The youth welfare office must inform all parties involved about the possible consequences of the planned help for the child or young person. It must also document in the assistance plan

• the way in which the parties involved cooperate; and
• the extent of counselling by the foster carers