Family and education
Familie und Bildung
After reading, you understand who is responsible for raising children, what the Jugendamt does, the rules on marriage and schools, and how adults can continue learning.
Who is responsible for raising children
In Germany, raising children (Erziehung) is mainly the job of the parents (Eltern). Parents or legal guardians (persons with parental authority (Erziehungsberechtigte)) make the important decisions in a child's life.
For example, the parents decide whether a child goes to kindergarten (Kindergarten). The state and the schools do not decide for them.
Parents also decide whether their child takes part in religious education (Religionsunterricht) at school. They decide this until the child is 14 years old.
Parental authority has limits. Anyone who hits a child can be punished (bestraft). It is not a private matter of the family.
Jugendamt: help with problems in raising children
The youth welfare office (Jugendamt) is a public authority that looks after children and families. Parents who have problems raising their children can go there for help.
The Jugendamt also protects children. If a child is beaten or has to go hungry, the Jugendamt may take the child out of the family.
The Jugendamt does not decide which school a child attends and does not pay child benefit (Kindergeld). For problems in raising children, the right address is the Jugendamt, not the health office or the public order office.
Adulthood and living together
In Germany, you are of full age (volljährig) at 18. From this age you decide about your own life, for example where and with whom you live.
For this reason parents must respect the decision of a 22-year-old daughter who lives with her boyfriend, even if they do not like him. They cannot bring her back home, report her to the police or choose a husband for her.
Many ways of living together are allowed. Two adults of the same sex may live together. A single parent may raise children alone. People who are divorced may live with a new partner.
Not allowed: a 13-year-old child living as a couple with a 25-year-old adult.
Marriage and divorce
If you want to get married (heiraten), you first go to the registry office (Standesamt). It is not the residents' registration office or the public order office.
In Germany, a person may be married to only one partner at a time. Having several spouses at the same time is not allowed. People who are divorced or widowed may marry again.
Married couples may get a divorce (Scheidung). Usually they must keep the year of separation (Trennungsjahr): they live apart and lead their own lives for at least one year. Only then can they divorce.
For a divorce you need the support of a lawyer (Anwalt). You do not need the consent of parents or children, and you do not need a doctor's certificate.
Pregnancy, birth and support for parents
Pregnant women are given special legal protection shortly before and after the birth of their child. This protection is called maternity protection (Mutterschutz). Do not confuse it with parental leave (Elternzeit).
After the birth, parents can receive parental allowance (Elterngeld). It does not arrive automatically. You must submit an application (Antrag) to the office in charge of Elterngeld, called the Elterngeldstelle.
Kindergarten and school
Children from the age of three until they start school have a right to a place in a kindergarten (Kindergartenplatz). Whether they go is decided by the parents.
Unlike kindergarten, school is compulsory. Most children in Germany are subject to compulsory schooling (Schulpflicht). Children must be present in class (duty to attend (Anwesenheitspflicht)) and cannot choose whether to go.
The state supervises the school system because, according to the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), this is its task. It is not because only state schools exist.
School policy (Schulpolitik) is decided by the federal states (Bundesländer), not by teachers, the family ministry or universities. For this reason schools can differ from state to state.
Abitur, university and further education
To start studying at a university in Germany, you normally need the Abitur. A trade qualification such as the journeyman's exam (Gesellenprüfung) or a Diplom is not the normal requirement for starting.
Adults can still take the Abitur later. They do this at an evening grammar school (Abendgymnasium), for example a person aged 30. A university (Hochschule) is not the place to take the Abitur.
The adult education centre (Volkshochschule) is an institution for further education (Weiterbildung). People of all ages can learn there, not only young people or pensioners.