On Wednesday, November 5, the Committee for Social Affairs and Integration of the Hessian Association of Cities and Towns decided to ask the state of Hesse to cover the costs of integration assistance for mentally disabled children and young people. Mayor Sabine Groß initiated this step. The executive committee of the Hessian Association of Cities and Towns also supported this decision today.
The integration assistance measures for mentally disabled children and young people are regulated differently to other integration assistance in youth welfare law. They primarily include "school support", which supports children and young people in everyday school life. As more and more children with diagnoses such as ADHD or autism need help in the classroom, the number of cases is rising sharply. In 2021, 131 children and young people in Offenbach required this help, while in 2024, 248 cases were already funded by July. On average, the city spends around one million euros per month on this.
Mayor Groß believes the state has a duty here:
Mayor Sabine GroßIt is important for every child to receive the help to which they are entitled. We expect Hesse to take responsibility for the participation of mentally impaired children in school. This also includes making the costs of integration assistance available to the towns and municipalities.
In 2001, the federal government designated the local authorities as rehabilitation providers for integration assistance in accordance with Section 35a SGB VIII, but has not yet provided federal or state funding for this. The growing expenditure on assistance throughout Germany contributed to the fact that a supplementary budget had to be adopted in Offenbach. Groß explains: "The costs of school support show once again that local authorities have to bear the financial burden of federal and state policy decisions alone and are therefore repeatedly getting into financial difficulties. We will not accept this and remind the state of Hesse of the principle of connectivity."