Minister of Social Affairs Johannes Rauch (Greens) raises the issue of basic child safety. On Monday he held a roundtable discussion with various civil society organizations and NGOs. In the coming weeks he wants to present a plan for its implementation, which – if it ever happens – will probably be up to the next government. The ÖVP does not agree with Rauch’s plans.
During the summit on Monday, which was attended by representatives of Volkshilfe, Caritas, Diakonie, Hilfewerk, UNICEF, other social organizations and several experts, including the President of the Budget Council, Christoph Badelt, it was agreed that eradicating child poverty is a “common core concern ” is. . are. After all, the follow-up costs are enormous.
Plan a ‘complex topic’ in the coming weeks
Of course, basic child safety is a “complex issue” that affects several levels, requiring the involvement of, for example, the federal states and social partners and other stakeholders, Rauch admitted. Still, he was confident that he would be able to present a plan for concrete implementation in the coming weeks. Rauch announced that this would include drawing up further basic principles and calculation models. There should also be another round with this composition.
There was agreement on the basic principles: in addition to a basic amount that is independent of income, a future model must include a second monetary part that is based on the income of the parents and therefore mainly benefits children at risk of poverty and exclusion , Rauch emphasizes. The third element is in-kind benefits, such as a free hot meal per day for every child or important health services such as prevention and therapy. This means that not only federal services are affected, but also state services, Rauch said.
Caritas: Basic safety for children has a poverty-preventing effect
Rauch received support from Caritas Secretary General Anna Parr in a statement to journalists after the roundtable: “Basic child welfare has been a concern for us as Caritas has long been satisfied with the “very constructive exchange” . Basic child safety is also about having a poverty-preventing effect. For children who grow up in poverty, this continues into adulthood, and they often live in poverty themselves afterwards. Education is therefore also an “important lever”.
Rauch dreams of a republic ‘free from child poverty’
People’s Aid director Erich Fenninger also reported that solutions to prevent child poverty were discussed today: “The goal would be that we have a republic free from child poverty – that is possible in a rich country like Austria.”
Source: Krone
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