Youth Welfare in Coburg: Structural Challenges and Staff Shortages

Youth Welfare in Coburg: The Fight Against Overload

Youth welfare in Coburg has been under pressure for months. In March 2026, the city's Youth Welfare Council convened to discuss the results of a comprehensive organizational review. The conclusion: The Youth and Family Office is structurally and personnel-wise overburdened – a situation that not only endangers work efficiency but also the quality of care.

Structural Overload and Lack of Staff

The organizational review, conducted with support from the Institute for Social Planning and Organizational Development (INSO), analyzed the workload and staffing requirements of the Youth and Family Office. It became clear that the overload has been ongoing for some time. Preventive services, risk assessments, and support for upbringing are suffering from a lack of staff.

The basis for staffing calculations was the PeB (Staffing Guide for Youth Offices in Bavaria), which is considered the standard for calculating positions. Nevertheless, a clear under-staffing was identified, which, according to the report, cannot be resolved by internal optimizations alone.

Temporary Relief through Temporary Positions

To relieve work processes in the short term, two additional temporary positions were assigned to the General Social Service (ASD). However, these positions are temporary and will be withdrawn again in 2027. In the current Youth Welfare Council meeting, the report on needs assessment and recommendations for action was discussed. The identified needs will feed into the 2027 budget discussions to enable long-term solutions.

The current personnel policy shows that the city of Coburg is working on a solution – yet it remains unclear how the financial resources for a lasting expansion of the staffing base will be secured.

Preconditions for Sustainable Youth Welfare

The challenges facing youth welfare in Coburg are not new. They reflect a problem that must be addressed at multiple levels – local, regional, and national. The current discussion on staffing calculations and personnel planning shows that Coburg is in need of an expansion of staff to meet the increasing demands.

Central to this is also the question of how youth welfare in Coburg will be funded in the future. The city must plan significantly more capacity for the ASD and other departments in the 2027 budget. At the same time, it is important to engage in dialogue with professionals to reduce workloads and keep staff turnover low.

Outlook: What Comes After the March Session?

The results of the organizational review and the discussions in the Youth Welfare Council are a decisive milestone. They show that Coburg has recognized the problems and is taking action. However, the truly decisive steps lie mainly in the next budget planning. Only with a solid personnel and financial framework can the city of Coburg guarantee high-quality youth welfare in the long term.