Leistungen A-Z

Parents are obliged to provide for the maintenance of their children. If you are raising your child alone, the other parent must pay child support. As a mother, you are already entitled to maintenance during maternity leave, as a father immediately after the birth of the child. If the other parent does not fulfill his or her obligation, the Youth Welfare Office can give you legal advice and offer further support.

You will discuss which measures need to be initiated together with the Youth Welfare Office in a personal meeting. The Youth Welfare Office will then help you formulate letters, determine the amount of child support payments or initiate a garnishment if necessary.

Guardianship

You can also set up a guardianship for your child at the Jugendamt. A guardianship is a special form of legal representation for children and young people. The Youth Welfare Office can then legally represent the child in the relevant proceedings and thus relieve you. For example, it can

• request the father to acknowledge paternity and take the necessary documents,
• arrange for the judicial clarification of paternity,
• calculate your child's maintenance entitlement
• periodically review the child support claim
• record a deed of support,
• enforce the child support claim in court
• collect and control the alimony payments
• determine the whereabouts and employer of the parent obligated to pay child support, and
• Initiate enforcement actions.

You can apply for guardianship before the child is born if you are not married and have not made joint declarations of custody. After the birth, you can apply for guardianship at any time until the child reaches the age of majority. Your right of custody will not be restricted by this.

Terminating the guardianship

You can terminate the guardianship at any time by submitting a written declaration. It ends automatically when the child reaches the age of majority. He or she can then seek advice and support from the Youth Welfare Office until his or her 21st birthday.

• You are a single parent and your minor child has maintenance claims against the other parent, or
• You are between 18 and 21 years old and have maintenance claims against one parent yourself.

• for a consultation: no documents required
• for a guardianship: informal written application

Emission: (kostenfrei)
Court proceedings conducted within the framework of a guardianship may incur costs in individual cases.
Vorkasse: Nein

There is no deadline.

locally responsible youth welfare office

• § Section 18 (1), (2) and (4) of Book Eight of the German Social Code (SGB VIII)
• §§ Sections 1712-1717 of the German Civil Code (BGB)

• Brochure from the Federal Ministry on guardianship and other assistance from the Youth Welfare Office

Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)