Children and Youth Advocacy Offices Express Concerns Over Pause in Family Reunification

The Salzburg Children's and Youth Advocate Johanna Fellinger emphasized at a press conference that children have the right to live with their parents. She rejects an immediate stop that is only decided after review by the highest courts. Fellinger stressed that measures should be examined to avoid overwhelming schools in certain regions of Austria due to family reunifications. However, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Federal Constitutional Law on the Rights of Children contain guarantees for living together with the family. Therefore, any new regulation must be reviewed for constitutional and children's rights compliance.

Children's and Youth Advocacy Offices Hope for Strengthening of Children's Rights Despite Empty Coffers

The Children's and Youth Advocacy Offices hope for an overall strengthening of children's rights from the coalition of ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS. Some demands of the KIJA are found in the government program, according to the Vienna Children's and Youth Advocate Sebastian Öhner. He believes that a nationwide strengthening of children's rights can succeed even with a tight budget. "You don't always need more money, sometimes you need a change in thinking." Often, it is questions of administration, legal regulations, or service law. As an example, he mentioned the planned more uniform standards in child and youth welfare.

(Cyber-)Bullying: Demands of the Children's and Youth Advocacy Offices for Improvements

Upper Austria's Children's and Youth Advocate Christine Winkler-Kirchberger referred to the issue of (cyber-)bullying, where a focus on prevention, training, and improved structures could save later costs for interventions. The pressure to act in this area is high. The problem is that schools often only seek external help when the situation is already entrenched and suspensions are necessary.

The increase in this area - in 2023/24 there were 2,000 cases nationwide, 100 more than the previous school year - is viewed with concern by the KIJA. Schools need a binding step-by-step plan before a suspension is pronounced, demanded Fellinger, and emphasized: "A school suspension should never be seen as a disciplinary measure." It is a measure in case of imminent danger to protect fellow students and teaching staff. Additionally, the suspension does not change the underlying problem. Therefore, the KIJA welcomes government plans to create nationwide uniform standards for suspension support. "But as with child protection concepts, there must be sufficient personnel resources and professionally qualified educational staff to work effectively with families and young people." Otherwise, the planned model would be at the expense of other school social work or school psychology services, Fellinger feared.

Children's and Youth Advocacy Offices for Child Protection Concepts as a Prerequisite for Funding

The government program also includes uniform rules for child protection. "Whether a child has access to their children's rights should not depend on the postal code of their residence," emphasized Öhner. The planned creation of a nationwide children's rights monitoring also corresponds to a KIJA demand. Regarding the child protection concepts, which must now be mandatorily created in schools, Tyrol's Children's and Youth Advocate Lukas Trentini insisted on a nationwide expansion to kindergartens and other critical areas for children and young people, such as extracurricular clubs in sports and culture, swimming pools, or libraries. Financial incentives would also be needed here, for example, by making a child protection concept a prerequisite for funding commitments.

(APA/Red)

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