With the introduction of basic child security, the federal government wants to improve opportunities for all children and combat poverty. Various state benefits for children and families with children are to be bundled for this purpose. Social associations, child protection and family organizations have been demanding this for a long time. After the summer break, the details of the project are now to be presented.
So far there have been various services for families with children. For example, the monthly child benefit or the child allowance for people with low incomes. However, the benefits sometimes have to be applied for from different authorities in different ways – families are often not even aware that they are entitled.
According to estimates by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, the child supplement only reaches about every third eligible child. Mathematically, about 1.5 million children go away empty-handed. The new basic child security is intended to bundle this chaos and make state benefits for children and families simpler and clearer.
If all eligible families receive benefits to which they are entitled, it will cost more money. This is largely undisputed. In addition, however, the Greens in particular want to push through in the traffic light that benefits are also increased in order to do more against child poverty in the country. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), on the other hand, insists that after the expensive corona and inflation relief packages, government spending should be limited again and refers to increases in citizen benefits, child benefit and child allowance that have already taken place.
The basic child security should have two components. A guaranteed amount that is the same for all children, regardless of how much the parents earn. It should be at least the amount of the current child benefit, i.e. 250 euros. It is planned that children who are adults but are still studying or in training will receive this guaranteed amount directly. The second part then depends on the parents’ income and is an additional contribution. The less the parents earn, the higher it should be.
It is intended to replace the previous children’s citizenship allowance, i.e. what families receive monthly for their children who receive citizenship allowance. Today’s child allowance of a maximum of 250 euros, which goes to families who do not receive basic income but have very little income, should also be included in this additional contribution. This also applies to parts of the so-called education and participation package. With this, children from poorer families are financially supported with music lessons, sports clubs or school trips. With the basic child security system, one contact point should be responsible for ensuring that families receive the benefits they are entitled to in an unbureaucratic manner.
According to the previous plans of Family Minister Lisa Paus (Greens), a digital child protection portal is to be created for this purpose, i.e. a page on which all benefits can be applied for. A “basic child security check” should also actively inform families that they may be entitled to further payments. According to the Ministry of Family Affairs, the previous debt of the citizens should become a debt of the state. The exact amount of the payments has not yet been determined, see financial dispute.
The introduction is planned for 2025. The corresponding law is to be introduced in the federal cabinet after the summer holidays. Then it becomes clearer how the project will be designed in concrete terms. But that’s not the last word either. As with any law, further details are subsequently negotiated in the Bundestag before it is passed.
