Jugendhilfe und sozialer Wandel - Leistungen und Strukturen (Phasen I - VI)

Quantitative Data Collections: Survey of Statutory and Voluntary Youth Services Agencies

Approximately every 4 years standardized questionnaire-based surveys are being carried out among institutions and service agencies in the child and youth services field. These involve, on the one hand, the statutory youth welfare offices that have the oversight and ultimate responsibility for child and youth welfare services in a given city or county; on the other hand, there are diverse institutions, facilities, and service agencies that actually deliver the child and youth services. The surveys are conducted among approximately one fifth of all child and youth welfare service districts (city/county) regarding the core welfare services: youth work, day care, socio-educational support. In addition, the voluntary service agencies providing the various services are included in the survey.

Topics of the survey among statutory child and youth welfare offices are:

• structural parameters, e.g., personnel and financial strength, professional development and supervision, services available in the district, funding of voluntary youth service agencies, youth services committee;
• current developments in the youth welfare service sector, e.g., status of and approaches to youth services planning, implementation of new public management, quality assurance, service contracts, service planning;
• other aspects like cooperation between statutory and voluntary service agencies, situations of special social hardships in a district, or demographic changes.

Centerpiece of the survey among voluntary youth service agencies are the following questions:

• Which opportunities do voluntary youth service agencies have to shape the youth services offered on a district/regional level?
• What structural challenges are they struggling with?
• How do statutory and voluntary services agencies cooperate?
• How do the changes in labor market policies affect the voluntary youth service agencies?
• How do the voluntary service agencies respond to the demographic changes?
• What kind of quality development approach is being employed by the voluntary youth service agencies?
• How are new professional developments incorporated into daily practice?

Based on this survey the situation of the voluntary youth service agencies will be described, future perspectives and regional differences will be documented, and - if necessary - the need for political action will be indicated.