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What does Jugendamt mean?

The Jugendamt (youth welfare office) is your city's or district's office for children, young people and families.

das Jugendamt · die Jugendämter (plural)

It helps families, for example with questions about bringing up children, with maintenance for children and with Unterhaltsvorschuss.

You can often also apply for a Beistandschaft there. Then the Jugendamt helps you enforce maintenance for your child.

The Jugendamt must step in if a child is in danger.

Example sentence

Das Jugendamt bietet Ihnen ein Beratungsgespräch an.

The Jugendamt offers you a counselling appointment.

What you can do

Advice at the Jugendamt is usually free. You can also bring a person you trust.

  • Unterhaltsvorschuss Unterhaltsvorschuss (child maintenance advance) is money for children of single parents if the other parent pays little or no maintenance.
  • Unterhalt Unterhalt (maintenance) is money someone must pay towards another person's living costs, for example a parent for their child.
  • Elterngeld Elterngeld (parental allowance) is money for parents who care for their child after the birth. They then work less or not at all.
  • Kindergeld Kindergeld (child benefit) is money for parents that the Familienkasse pays every month for each child.