Participation in family court proceedings
Service description
If parents make an application to the family court as part of divorce proceedings (for example, for the transfer of parental custody or regarding contact arrangements), the family court asks the youth welfare office for support. The youth welfare office provides information about the services it offers and provides (e.g. discussions with the parents, the minors, agreements made, etc.). Educational and social aspects of the children's development are taken into account. Further possibilities for help are pointed out.
In order to fulfil this task, the youth welfare office offers the parents a joint counselling appointment. The aim is to develop a solution together. These counselling sessions are subject to data protection. With the parents' consent, the court can be informed about the content of the discussions.
Under certain circumstances, children can be involved in this process depending on their stage of development. However, the children should not feel that they are jointly responsible for their parents' decisions or that they have to make them themselves. Their wishes, ideas and fears should be taken into account.
If the children have not seen one of their parents for a long time, the youth welfare office can be used to cautiously initiate contact.