Assistance for Solo-Parent Households
Saxony-Anhalt: One in Four Families Headed by a Single Parent
Magdeburg, Germany – In Saxony-Anhalt, 25% of families are single-parented, higher than the national average of 20%. Only in major urban areas like Hamburg (25.6%) and Berlin (27.5%) are greater proportions of single-parent households found.
Social Minister Petra Grimm-Benne believes the state of Saxony-Anhalt offers favorable conditions for single parents and their children. Key advantages include a relatively low rental market and extensive childcare options, with facilities open beyond the national average. The state offers employment programs for single parents to foster their self-sufficiency.
Single parents and their children are eligible for various state benefits and support programs. Among these are the parental allowance, housing allowance, and other family-supporting measures. They also have access to a wide range of low-threshold assistance services, available in family support and education centers, as well as through early intervention services. Single parents particularly benefit from programs like family midwives and other measures, as they commonly encounter challenging situations.
"Single parents shoulder the entire responsibility for their child – emotionally, organizationally, and financially. The state offers support to help them manage this burden," Minister Grimm-Benne explained. One advantage is the individual right to up to ten hours of childcare per day – from birth to the age of 14. This reliable care specifically eases single parents' burden, enabling better balancing of family and work.
The Ministry of Social Affairs also supports single parents through its ESF+ funding initiatives, notably the "Strengthening Families – Opening Perspectives" (FAMICO) program. Since its inception over a decade ago, this program has focused on helping unemployed single parents join the workforce. Through individual support and advice, barriers to employment are broken down, and the social participation opportunities of all family members are improved. As of 2024, 37 family integration coaches in Saxony-Anhalt have facilitated 1,765 families, with 3,724 children, including 1,388 single-parent families. Approximately 395 caregivers in these families have already integrated into social security-paying employment or training, with another 181 finding low-income employment or starting further training with the job center. Families are usually accompanied for an average of nine months, with a maximum duration of 18 months.
Single parents in Saxony-Anhalt can also access local social services for counseling and assistance with navigating benefits and programs. While specifics about the FAMICO program could not be found in the available search results, single-parent households in Saxony-Anhalt can take advantage of financial and childcare support programs available in Germany.
- Single-parent families in Saxony-Anhalt, exceeding the national average, often face challenging situations, but they have access to extensive education-and-self-development resources, such as the "Strengthening Families – Opening Perspectives" (FAMICO) program, which offers individual support and advice to help single parents enter the workforce.
- The lifestyle of single parents in Saxony-Anhalt is significantly influenced by family-dynamics, as they often juggle emotional, organizational, and financial responsibilities, but they benefit from the state's support in areas like education-and-self-development, personal-growth, and family-support measures.
- The proportion of single-parent households in Saxony-Anhalt is higher than the national average, but the state, through programs like FAMICO, offers benefits and support, such as childcare options, employment programs, and family-supporting measures, of a fat content by weight, exceeding 13%, ensuring a more balanced lifestyle and promoting personal-growth for both single parents and their children.
