The corona pandemic poses great challenges for families – and the longer it lasts, the more the effects are felt in child and youth welfare. “Accurate preventive offers are important to deal with family problems and crisis situations in good time. It has been evident since the summer that existing reception systems for children and adolescents are being used to capacity or even overloaded – at the Innviertel child protection centers, for example, by a third compared to the previous year,” says State Councilor Birgit Gerstorfer.
Demand is also expected to increase in the coming years. However, the offer away from the central area is less extensive than in the central area. In order to cushion this imbalance, the state will finance a new project for the districts of Braunau, Ried and Schärding from January: the mobile family coaching Innviertel of the Diakonie Zentrum Spattstraße.
The mobile family coaching Innviertel is a preventive offer and aims to cushion crises. This is made possible by a specially set up advice hotline and personal coaching appointments. In the future, competent contact persons can be reached on Tel .: 0800 700 734 – Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings (8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons (1 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.). Callers receive advice or guidance on possible immediate de-escalation. The aim is to quickly relieve your personal situation.
Advice also on site
During the phone call, the problem areas and the necessary basic information are collected, and the option of mobile on-site advice is also offered. If it makes sense, they will also be referred to other institutions. The advice is free of charge and, if desired, anonymous. An advisory bus should be available from spring, which should provide a spontaneous and low-threshold opportunity for a conversation in public places in the Innviertel. On request, the advisors can also come to the families’ homes in person. The intensity and duration depend on the needs.
There is support for all issues that arise due to a pandemic or in everyday family life, such as arguments and conflicts, dealing with the media, educational issues, school problems, exhaustion and much more. The offer is aimed at families who live in the Innviertel. Target groups are children, adolescents and their legal guardians as well as people from the immediate environment of the children and adolescents. The experts advise and coach on traumatic experiences, fear, overload, in short: on all topics that affect mental and physical health.
The aim is to bring the security and stability of the family structure back into balance as quickly as possible. In coaching, we work together on the strengths, skills and resources of the family, children and young people.
No ready-made solutions are given in the coaching process – the other person is instructed in such a way that they can identify the solutions themselves and are able to take the next steps out of the crisis.
Children, adolescents or their caregivers can contact the mobile family coaching directly. Every call is treated confidentially. The mobile family coaching Innviertel is a component to relieve families quickly and unbureaucratically. However, there is an urgent need to create more comprehensive offers of help in order to provide preventive and intervening support.
Source: Nachrichten
