High barriers to participation for needy children in Saarland: CDA Neunkirchen demands effective reform of the Education and Participation Package!
[advertisement placement="medium_rectangle" align="left"]Following the recent report on an analysis by the Bertelsmann Foundation, whose result shows a too low utilization of the benefits for social and cultural participation in the Education and Participation Package (BuT) for children of basic social security recipients, the social wing of the CDU in the Neunkirchen district (Christian-Democratic Employees' Association CDA) calls for an effective reform and debureaucratization of the benefits. According to figures from the Bertelsmann Foundation, only 15.7 percent of eligible six- to under fifteen-year-olds in Saarland receive the monthly amount of 15 euros for social and cultural participation, for participation in sports and culture, for example in clubs. CDA district chairman Thomas Schmitt therefore urges: “Participation in clubs greatly expands the perspectives of needy children and is a crucial foundation for future advancement opportunities. That participation here still fails due to bureaucratic hurdles in the application process even 15 years after the introduction of the Education and Participation Package is simply a disgrace! The barriers to access the benefits must urgently be reduced.”
[advertisement placement="medium_rectangle" align="right"]Therefore, CDA Neunkirchen demands an effective reform of the Education and Participation Package. Complex application forms and extensive documentation requirements should be eliminated. A simple proof of club membership should suffice. Additionally, the monthly contribution of 15 euros should be increased and, in principle, a needs-based lump sum allocation to eligible children and young people should be established. Furthermore, the benefits should also be partially decoupled from the approval period of basic social security benefits. A multi-month grace period, during which the benefits simply continue even if the approval period of the basic social security notice ends, would avoid interruption periods and provide families with children more security. From the perspective of CDA Neunkirchen, improving access to these benefits is important for Saarland as a club-heavy region, but especially also for the clubs in the Neunkirchen district itself. Because with a view to their young talent recruitment, there is also an opportunity here for them.
The Christian-Democratic Employees' Association (CDA) is the social wing of the CDU. Its members are primarily active in fields of social policy such as the labor market, pensions, care, and health. Further information is available on the internet at www.cda-bund.de or www.cda-saar.de.
