Children and family

If you are pregnant, you can get a lot of information from a pregnancy counseling center. These are available at... AWO, Caritas, Diakonie, Donum Vitae, German Red Cross and Pro Familia. There is an online counseling service for pregnant women available from the [organization name]. Caritas and Diakonie. This flyer lists these advice centers and includes a checklist of everything that is important before and after birth:

A pregnancy counseling center can help you throughout your pregnancy. They can also provide support if you are considering an abortion. The counseling is free and can be conducted in other languages.

If you need financial support during pregnancy, there are several options. If you receive benefits from the Jobcenter, you can apply for additional support during your pregnancy. This support is available from the 13th week of pregnancy and is called "additional needs during pregnancy." You will need to submit a copy of your maternity record as proof of pregnancy. You can also receive financial assistance from the Jobcenter for clothing and baby items. This assistance is called "initial equipment for pregnancy and birth.".

If you are married, your husband is automatically considered the child's father.
If you are not married, the child's father should acknowledge paternity.
The recognition of paternity means that the father has certain rights and obligations.

If you are married, you automatically have joint custody with your husband.
If you are not married, you should discuss custody with the father.
If you decide on joint custody, make this official with the father by means of a custody declaration.

You will make the acknowledgment of paternity and the declaration of custody with the child’s father at the youth welfare office.
These are very important things and it is important that you and the father understand everything at the appointment.
If you and/or the child's father do not speak much German, the Youth Welfare Office can organize an interpreter.
Here There is more information and contact details from the Leipzig Youth Welfare Office.

Children are not required to attend daycare. Parents decide whether and when a child should attend.
Compulsory only comes in primary school.
If a child is six years old on June 30, he or she must start primary school that year.

Kita is short for childcare facility. There are two parts:

Nursery: for children from 0 to 3 years

Kindergarten: for children from 3 years up to school age

If you are looking for a daycare place in Leipzig, register your child on my daycare place to.
You can then select daycare centers.
If you need help with registration or finding a place, you can get help in the Welcome Center or at Youth Welfare Office.

The Youth Welfare Office has a brochure to daycare centers in Leipzig and here answered many questions about it.

There are various financial benefits for families. 

Many people are familiar with child benefit.
EU citizens can receive child benefit in Germany, even if the children live in another country.

Other possible benefits include child supplement, parental allowance, maintenance advance and state child benefit.
Here most family benefits are explained.
Here There is a multilingual brochure from the Leipzig Youth Welfare Office.

State child benefit is not available everywhere in Germany.
In Leipzig, the money is available to parents of children aged 1-2 years if one parent stays at home and looks after the child.
How much money is that? It depends on the child's age and how many children you have.
Here it is explained in detail.

Sometimes raising children is challenging or there is conflict between parents.
In such cases, it makes sense to contact a family counseling center.

Family counseling centers have a lot of experience with such situations.
The help is free and the staff often speak other languages.
Here All family counseling centers in Leipzig are listed.

The youth welfare office has the task of protecting children and young people and supporting parents.
The Youth Welfare Office has various departments, for example for daycare centers or parental allowance.
It also offers family counseling.

The youth welfare office employs social workers who look after the welfare of children.
That means they make sure that a child is doing well.
If a child is in a dangerous situation (child endangerment), the youth welfare office can take the child into custody.
This means that the child stays in a home run by the youth welfare office or with a foster family until the child can possibly return to the family.
The family court decides on such matters.
The child receives help during the proceedings from a legal representative.
This person has the task of representing the child’s interests.

Here You can read information about the tasks of the Youth Welfare Office in various languages.