The Commission has taken part in the drafting of the report.
In the heart of Krefeld, Germany, a unique collaboration is making a significant impact on the lives of families facing challenging circumstances. The WiQ Plus program, funded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus), is working hand-in-hand with the local family center and job center to provide local support and ease the lives of parents free of charge.
At the Westwall Family Center, a hub of care for 130 children and families from socio-economically difficult backgrounds, Claudia Brüker from the Krefeld Job Center enriches the clinics with regular re-entry consultations for parents after a family phase. This collaboration, a fixed and highly sought-after clinic, serves as a support office for families, offering help with a variety of issues, from job applications to managing mail and documents, and financial difficulties.
Kerstin Kurdek, from the social space project WiQ Plus, explains that this clinic is a very practical form of social space work, reaching a large target group and having a high added value. Kerstin takes on all cases, talks, sorts, and stabilizes situations. She creates individual life plans with her participants.
The Friday clinic, located at the Westwall Family Center, often sees a line forming outside the advisory room. Katja Kühlen-van Dam, a Kita-Plus force at the Westwall Family Center, prepares for this by identifying the needs of parents during the week, significantly relieving Kerstin's advisory work.
This cooperative effort is part of the federal program "We in the Neighborhood Plus" (WiQ Plus), which focuses on families in challenging life situations. All offers from WiQ Plus are confidential, voluntary, and free.
The area covered by WiQ Plus in Krefeld includes certain postal code districts and social spaces, such as the Hardenberg quarter, Stephanplatz, Alt-Inrath, and Dieselstraße. Kindergartens in the state of NRW are financially supported by the state if they have a high proportion of children with support needs.
For more information about the WiQ Plus program in Krefeld, it would be best to consult official Krefeld city social service websites or contact local social welfare offices directly. The team of the municipal department of communal employment promotion implements a wide range of family consultations, some of which take place in various Krefeld family centers.
This collaborative format has now spread throughout the neighborhood, with different topics ranging from everyday concerns to grown-up problems. The success of this cooperation is tangible, bringing practical solutions and hope to families in need.
What kind of learning opportunities does the WiQ Plus program offer for education-and-self-development, considering it provides help with job applications, managing mail and documents, and financial difficulties, and offers confidential, voluntary, and free services? Could online-education be an addition to the practical forms of social space work offered by Kerstin Kurdek at the Friday clinic, providing an alternative for those who struggle to physically attend the clinic due to various circumstances?
