Federal State Association of Catholic Youth Social Work in North Rhine-Westphalia (LAG KJS NRW)

Supporting young people. Improving conditions in education, training, and society. Shaping social change.

Youth social work means more than helping individuals overcome immediate challenges. It also means creating social conditions in which all young people have the opportunity to participate, develop their
potential and shape their own future.

We advocate for the interests of young people aged 12 to 27 during the transition from school to work, at state and federal level, and are committed to ensuring that every young person has access to the opportunities and resources they need for their personal development, participation and identity formation.

We focus particularly on young people who are affected by or at risk of individual or social disadvantage. To achieve our goals, we cooperate with stakeholders and institutions from the Church, public
administration, politics, business and civil society. We actively participate in academic and public discourse and, together with our partners, contribute to developing solutions and shaping a socially inclusive and sustainable future.

A key area of our work is enhancing the quality of professional youth social work. This includes promoting cooperation among Catholic organisations in North Rhine-Westphalia, researching, providing and
evaluating information on youth social work, and offering training and professional development for social workers.

At the political level, we provide policymakers with information about the situation and needs of disadvantaged young people, develop policy positions and recommendations, and contribute to political
debates on youth social work and related programmes.

LAG KJS NRW represents more than fifty Catholic organisations active in youth and social work throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. They share the common goal of improving opportunities for young people facing disadvantage during the transition from school to work and creating structures that enable their full social, educational and political participation.

The organisations represented by LAG KJS NRW have been active in youth social work in various capacities throughout North Rhine-Westphalia for decades. Their main areas of work include vocational
education and training, labour market integration, school-based youth social work, youth housing and assisted living, and social work with young migrants and refugees. Many member organisations also have extensive experience in implementing EU-funded programmes at national and European level.

Fields of Youth Social Work

Employment and Vocational Support for Young People

Despite Germany’s well-developed labour market and vocational training system, many young people face barriers to accessing education, training and employment. Employment and vocational support has therefore become a key area of youth social work.

It includes educational and vocational preparation, vocational training and employment support for young people facing social or individual disadvantages. Additionally, projects for students disengaged from school offer young people the chance to re-engage with education in a new way and find a path to employment by obtaining a qualification. Support is also provided to young people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment, helping them develop realistic educational and career prospects and facilitating their transition into working life.

Integration Support

Young people with a migration or refugee background may face particular challenges, including language barriers, unfamiliar social and institutional environments, discrimination and difficulties accessing education, training and employment.

Youth Migration Services are specialised integration centres for young people with a migration background aged 12 to 27. Individual support, professional counselling, group activities and educational programmes, as well as effective networking with schools, training providers and other relevant institutions, are therefore important elements of their services. The aim is to
strengthen educational, professional and social participation and to enable young people to develop their own perspectives and opportunities.

Youth Housing and Assisted Living

The need for security, stability and a place to call home is universal. For young people and young adults, however, living at home may not always be possible or appropriate.

Those young people aged 15 to 27 undertaking vocational training or attending school far from their family home may need accommodation closer to their place of education. Similarly, young people who cannot continue living with their parents for social or personal reasons may require an alternative living arrangement.

Youth housing and assisted living facilities provide a supportive environment in which young people, regardless of origin, culture, or religion, can develop important life skills while receiving professional guidance. These settings enable young people to manage everyday responsibilities, live and interact with others, and gradually learn to live independently. In this way, youth housing and assisted living provide both a safe and supportive home and an opportunity for young people to gain confidence, responsibility and independence.

School-Based Youth Social Work

School-based youth social work is a youth welfare service for students in general education and vocational schools. It supports children, adolescents and young adults in their educational, social and vocational development and participation within the school environment. 

It also seeks to identify and address problems at an early stage in order to prevent school absenteeism and potential school dropout, as well as the social exclusion that may result. Where necessary, alternative forms of education and support can be provided when a return to mainstream schooling is no longer possible.

Excursus: Plurality and the Role of Faith-Based Organisations in Germany’s Social Welfare System

Germany’s welfare system differs from more state-centred models found in many other countries. While the state retains overall responsibility for guaranteeing social welfare, a substantial proportion of social services is provided by independent, non-statutory organisations.

This arrangement is closely linked to the principle of subsidiarity: public authorities cooperate with independent providers rather than delivering all social services themselves. As a result, Germany has developed a deliberately pluralistic welfare landscape that includes organisations with different social, humanitarian, religious and philosophical traditions.

This diversity strengthens civil society, safeguards the autonomy of social organisations and gives people a choice between different service providers.

Faith-based organisations are an integral part of this pluralistic system. Caritas and other Catholic organisations, rooted in the Catholic Church, and Diakonie, rooted in the Protestant Church, are major non-profit welfare providers. They work alongside organisations such as the German Red Cross, the Workers’ Welfare Association (AWO), the Paritätische and the Central Welfare Organisation of Jews in Germany (ZWST).

Although faith-based organisations are guided by their respective religious values and traditions, they operate as professional civil society welfare organisations. Their social services are open to people regardless of religious affiliation, origin or beliefs.