Brandenburg's cities complain: school social work without financial aid?

Brandenburg's cities complain: school social work without financial aid?

There is currently a heated discussion in Brandenburg that revolves around school social work. On August 15, 2025, four independent cities and 14 districts filed a lawsuit against the state with the Constitutional Court. This reports maz-online.de. The reason for this legal step is the expansion of school social work through the current Children and Youth Act, which was passed in 2024 by the Kenya coalition - consisting of the SPD, CDU and Greens.

The intention behind the law, which is intended to strengthen school social work, is fundamentally welcomed by the municipalities. But there is a big catch: the financial resources made available are far from sufficient. Now the municipalities are forced to take legal action because they believe this represents a clear violation of the so-called “connectivity principle”. This principle states that the state must cover the costs of new tasks that it assigns to municipalities.

Insufficient funding

The nationally respected Potsdam law firm Dombert has submitted a 360-page complaint. It argues that the state is not fulfilling its constitutional obligations because there is no adequate cost compensation for the new tasks. Municipalities only receive a subsidy of 10,000 euros per school social worker position, while the actual costs are estimated at up to 50,000 euros net per position, according to the district council.

The situation varies greatly between different counties. Potsdam already has a comprehensive offer, but cannot quantify the additional costs. There are a whopping 100 job shortages in the Barnim district, which would cost almost 9 million euros annually. In Cottbus, on the other hand, eleven additional positions are expected, but there is no scope for financing. The Dahme-Spreewald district needs 40 new jobs by 2030, while Ostprignitz-Ruppin has already had to make cuts to youth welfare projects in order to cover the additional costs.

School social work faces new challenges

But the challenges are not just limited to financing; there is also a lot to do in practical work. How school social workers can perform when working with entire classes is the subject of an exciting new master's thesis by Silvan Strub, who has already received an award for his research. The thesis entitled "Complex - dynamic - systemic?! Synergetic process management and generic principles as a framework model for class interventions in social work" sheds light on the topics of class climate, social conflicts and the occurrence of negative dynamics that school social workers must always keep an eye on. These findings are also important in Brandenburg, where school social work is to be expanded but is currently under tough financial conditions.

The state must now respond to the municipalities’ lawsuit. However, a decision is no longer expected this year, which is fueling the uncertain situation for school social work. The time remains exciting.