With external help against the lack of care

Stolberg. The figures speak for themselves: four percent of the children in each age group have an increased need for support. The care rate in Stolberg, however, is only 2.6 percent.

Waiting lists in the Stolberg day care centres

"If you consider that an average of 600 children are born in our city every year, it quickly becomes clear how great the need for action is," Willi Seyffarth emphasizes. The waiting lists in the Stolberg day care centres can also be used as evidence of this need: They become ever longer, while the offer stagnates with 46 places for children with handicaps in the eight integrativen groups in Stolberg.

But this is supposed to change now: Following initial oral negotiations with the city, Caritas Lebenswelten GmbH has now also expressed its interest in the construction of a new inner-city facility in writing. The executing agency already runs integrative and curative education facilities in several municipalities in the region - including Aachen-Lichtenbusch and Eschweiler-Kinzweiler, where Stolberg children have also been admitted. Now the copper town could be added as a location.

The area of the helicopter landing field above the youth professional aid at Obersteinfeld, which is owned by the city, has been taken into consideration. In cooperation with Caritas Lebenswelten, the administration would kill several birds with one stone: "From a technical point of view, an increase in the number of integrative places is urgently needed," emphasizes Willi Seyffarth. In addition, the city could even generate income by selling the property, while it would not be burdened with the construction of the facility, because the future executing agency wants to finance the project one hundred percent through an investor.

As things stand at present, a four-group day care centre is planned, which will provide a so-called "additive offer". In concrete terms, this involves the establishment of a rule group with 20 children, an integrative group (15 places) and two curative groups (8 places each).

In this way, Stolberg would also receive the first curative childcare for children with multiple or severe disabilities - which, incidentally, is fully paid for by the state social welfare office. So far, the parents of these children have been forced to switch to day-care centres outside the urban area.

Source: www.az-web.de, Author: Michael Grobusch, 23.06.2008

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

Nach oben