50 years of parenting advice in Miltenberg: A milestone for families!

50 years of parenting advice in Miltenberg: A milestone for families!

The Caritas educational advice center celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 16th in the Franziskushaus in Miltenberg. An event that brought together many personalities from politics and society to honor the valuable work of the institution. Deputy District Administrator Monika Wolf-Pleßmann conveyed the congratulations from the Miltenberg district and emphasized the important role of the employees who support parents with parenting issues. The advice center, which employs a team of eight, is a legally anchored youth welfare service and deals with a wide range of problems within families.

What makes the educational advice center so special? It is open to everyone, regardless of religion, nationality or age, and always works confidentially. The Miltenberg district and the Bavarian State Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs, Family and Integration are important sponsors of this initiative. For 2024, 445,000 euros are available, while in the current financial year 460,500 euros will be made available to finance 4.5 staff positions.

The growing challenges

Case numbers continue to rise, reflecting the increasing challenges families face. From 139 cases managed in the first year, the protagonists of this important position have now grown to around 700 cases in 2024. Wolf-Pleßmann emphasized the importance of the advice center for strengthening families and providing early help with complex concerns. Mayor Bernd Kahlert described the facility as a “place for listening and orientation”.

The increasing complexity of inquiries requires a high level of specialist expertise. The counseling center employees are qualified and usually have additional psychotherapeutic qualifications. This corresponds to the standards required by other advice centers in the region. Specialists work in multidisciplinary teams to provide the best possible help to parents and children.

Innovations caused by the pandemic

The offering structure has evolved over the years, particularly due to the challenges brought about by the Corona pandemic. New counseling formats, such as counseling walks, have been introduced to support parents and young people in difficult times. Andreas Purschke, head of the Caritas advice center in Aschaffenburg, emphasized the challenges that parents face today, such as increasing stress and the influence of media use.

At the end of the celebrations, everyone present was able to share their experiences and the positive influence of the educational advice center in video contributions. The management, Stéphanie Vieli and Judith Appel, thanked not only the supporters, but also the various cooperation partners who contributed to this success story.

Parenting advice is therefore not only a place to solve problems, but also a safe space where families can find advice and support. This is impressively underlined by the high number of parents and children seeking advice.

For more information about parenting advice and the services of the advice center, take a look at the linked pages: [Miltenberg District](https://www.landkreis-miltenberg.de/news/erdraungsberatung- Feiert-50-j%C3%A4hriges-beesten.html), [KIDKIT].