Integration assistance in the Enzkreis: Social spending is exploding!

Integration assistance in the Enzkreis: Social spending is exploding!

The topic of integration assistance for people with disabilities is currently being intensively discussed in the Enz district. On Monday, the district council's social and cultural committee will take a detailed look at social spending, which will make up a significant part of the budget in 2023. These expenses are not only the largest item in the district budget, but also reflect the will to allow people with disabilities to participate equally in society, as pz-news.de reports.

Social Affairs Director Katja Kreeb highlights the positive effects of the latest strategies on the biographies of the people affected by these measures. With an upward trend, social benefits not only provided support, but also contributed to the self-realization of those affected. The numbers are revealing: According to the evaluations, the need for subsidies for social services in Baden-Württemberg increased by 8.3 percent between 2016 and 2025.

Distribution of social spending

As the distribution of expenditure shows, the largest share of funds goes to integration assistance. The numbers are impressive:

• Eingliederungshilfen: 41%
• Jugendhilfe: 32%
• Sonstige Sozialausgaben: 27%

This distribution shows how much weight is given to integration assistance in the social support system.

Accessibility of services

Another point that is receiving more and more attention today is accessibility to the relevant services. Simone Fischer, the state government's representative for people with disabilities, comments on the increasing demand for integration assistance in Baden-Württemberg. She sees this as a positive sign: people with disabilities are making greater use of their rights and compensation for disadvantages. However, access to important services in areas such as education, the labor market and everyday life often remains an obstacle. Many children with disabilities are still referred to special schools, which makes inclusion in mainstream schools more difficult. What is particularly alarming is that 75 percent of students at special schools go home without a school leaving certificate. social ministry.baden-wuerttemberg.de documents the current challenges in the education system.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which has been in force in Germany since 2009, promotes the participation and self-determination of all people with disabilities. These principles are not only part of the universal human rights discussion, but are also anchored in the German Basic Law. Nevertheless, it is clear that implementation in the areas of education and the labor market is still far from satisfactory, as the feedback from a state audit in August 2023 shows.

Living and work

Apart from educational policy aspects, the question of how people with disabilities can participate in working life is of crucial importance. Statistically speaking, only 0.6 percent of people entitled to benefits get a job outside of workshops. The labor budget at least offers legal support for jobs subject to social insurance contributions, but at the end of 2022 only 37 people in Baden-Württemberg had taken advantage of this offer. These and other grievances highlight the need to facilitate the transition from the workshop to the general labor market. The proportion of students with disabilities in special schools has increased since the ratification of the UN Convention, which is worrying.

Current developments show that something urgently needs to be done in social policy. People with disabilities deserve to be given priority in all areas of life - be it in education, access to services or within the labor market. The challenges are great, but with the right measures a change in thinking could happen that would have a positive impact on the lives of many of those affected. This challenge needs to be tackled together. bpb.de summarizes the fundamental socio-political challenges in this area.