Twittern

According to UNICEF, more than 5.5 million children are in urgent need of help across the Syrian region. The Federal Emergency Programme allows for the temporary admission of 55,000 children up to 17 years of age, given that a financial sponsor or foster family can be provided. We cannot help all the people in Syria who deserve aid. But as a society we can help one in a hundred children.

The government of the Federal Republic of Germany presented draft law 18/1333 to the Bundestag on 8 May 2014 setting the legal framework for the admission of especially vulnerable children from Syria. The following persons are deemed especially vulnerable: children whose parents were or are in prison, orphans, older boys in danger of arrest and children able to provide evidence of their families’ homelessness or financial hardship. The programme allows for the temporary admission of 55,000 children of up to 17 years of age given that a financial sponsor or foster family can be provided. Their admission is based on Section 23 (2) and (3) together with Section 24 of the German Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz). Children are to be separated from their parents on a purely temporary basis.
As trustee, the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (hereafter: BMFSFJ) can only provide a general guarantee for a maximum of 500 children at a time. New guarantees are issued once one of these children finds a private guarantor (or sponsor).

Bearing in mind that private accommodation in foster families amounts to only a third of costs for accommodation in a children’s home, the federal government prefers children to be placed in family-like accommodation. To that end, the BMFSFJ was instructed to launch its “1 in a 100” campaign in order to identify potential German foster homes. The campaign is first and foremost directed at stress-resilient couples and experienced adults with a mixed cultural background. Foster families and family-like foster homes accustomed to dealing with feelings of alienation are primarily targeted. Foster parents will be in charge of providing a secure and caring environment for their foster children for a limited amount of time. Likewise, psychological stress is to be reduced to a minimum in order to ensure children are able to return home upon termination of the conflict. The federal government intends to only separate infants from their relatives in cases of emergency, i.e. when they are not able to leave the country together with their families.

The government’s aim of placing 55,000 children in temporary full-time care is one of the most ambitious projects in recent German history. The federal government hopes to send a signal to other countries flagging the importance of ensuring the refugee crisis is no longer ignored. The aim is to see similar initiatives be put into place in all EU member states in order to relieve directly adjacent states of their pressure. According to UNICEF, more than 5.5 million children are in need of help across the region. For this reason, the protection and admission of Syrian children is a major concern for the federal government.
The „1 in a 100“ campaign will approach potential foster parents and provide comprehensive information on incentives and opportunities linked to their participation in the programme. A nation-wide appeal by Federal Minister of Family Affairs Manuela Schwesig was published in a selected number of national newspapers.

In order for the programme to be implemented in due course, the BMFSFJ supports all Länder and local authorities in offering comprehensive care for those children who cannot be placed in foster families. The federal government will provide up to EUR 40 million by the end of 2015 for the funding of additional places in children’s homes. The same legal provisions as for all foreign minors with tolerated residence titles apply (according to Section 12 (2) and (4) of the German Law on Residence). The children’s residence area is limited to their foster parents’ place of residence. Children may be granted permission to temporarily leave their tolerated area of residence to allow for participation in city trips, sports events and excursions. Permission must be applied for with the Minister of the Interior in the respective Land. Draft law 18/1333 explicitly excludes the possibility to apply for asylum.

The government’s declared aim is the return of all children to their home country. Children will be separated from their parents on a purely temporary basis. According to a resolution by the Conference of State Ministers of the Interior, children who are part of the programme are to remain in Germany until the existing hazards in their home country have been eliminated or until children have reached the age of majority and/or completed vocational training. The latter does not apply to regular employment contracts. According to the above-mentioned decision, the children in question are not considered immigrants. The State Ministers of the Interior have the final say in the duration of the stay as well as visiting regulations for families. Children admitted within the programme will not be adopted by their foster parents. Children are and remain the natural children of their parents. Legal custodians can demand the return of their child at all times. The Federal Foreign Office will make the final decision on whether a return to his or her home country is in the child’s best interest. Foster parents are to provide a guarantee for repatriation amounting to EUR 1,000 where possible. If no guarantee can be provided, the German state will take on the costs that incur with regard to the children’s repatriation.