Questionable Timing in Youth Office's Response Regarding Reutlingen Case?
At the Reutlingen Local Court, a judicial inquiry is underway to determine whether two employees of the county's youth welfare office bear partial responsibility for the neglect of a sibling pair. The court is examining whether they fell short of their duty of care.
The trial commenced on Thursday at the Reutlingen Local Court against two female employees of the Reutlingen County Youth Welfare Office, who are being accused of neglect by the Tübingen Public Prosecutor's Office. The allegations stem from a case involving a brother and sister who were taken into care due to neglected conditions.
Throughout three years, the youth welfare office had been offering assistance to the family. However, in 2022, the mother forfeited this aid, and it wasn't until her subsequent arrest for theft that the grim state of the children's living conditions came to light. Initially placed in foster care, and subsequently in a group home, questions arise regarding whether the youth welfare office should have stepped in sooner.
The boy, presently six, experienced hearing impairment due to an ear infection caused by a forgotten bead; both children struggled with severe tooth decay. In addition, they were diagnosed with lice and suffered from emotional and physical neglect. The public prosecutor described their state as experiencing "violence and hunger," being "emotionally neglected," and suffering from "significant health neglected." Often left to their own devices, the children endured such conditions even after continued support from the youth welfare office up to 2021.
Assisting the family voluntarily from 2018 to 2021 was an educator provided by a different agency. A 77-year-old family helper, employed through this agency, visited their home up to three times per week, sorted the mother's documents, and chaperoned the children to kindergarten. The reasons for ending this voluntary assistance in 2021 remain a question, as the trial presented.
The mother has a history of interaction with the child welfare system: in 2014, a Stuttgart Higher Regional Court stripped her of custody of her four elder children. In 2024, she received a two-year, seven-month prison sentence for abusing her younger children.
During the trial, both caseworkers presented a statement asserting they did not detect any signs of child abuse, such as beatings, punishments, or broken teeth. Despite this, social services had been responsible for the family in alternating periods. Neither of them received any reports of child endangerment. Meetings between the social worker and educator took place every six months. One employee was present at the onset of support, while the other was absent.
The family helper testified that the apartment was disorderly and managing the mother, deemed mentally ill, was challenging. Nevertheless, he stressed that he observed no signs of neglect. However, he recorded that the family situation had "become strained" prior to the mother ending the family support voluntarily. The explanation for the unexpected cessation of support remains a central question.
"She no longer wanted our help," explained a manager of the social service agency, "So we had to say: We're drawing a line here." The family had grown to be a borderline case, she continued, asserting that an imminent catastrophe was foreseeable, but she hadn't observed enough warning signs or evidence to justify that such danger was present.
After the family support was terminated, both the youth welfare office and the responsible social service assumed that the kindergarten would report any deterioration of the situation. "The children were in kindergarten. There was a social system that would have reported if something had happened," the manager stated.
Finally, the Reutlingen County Office, refraining from commenting explicitly on the case during the proceedings, noted the delicate balance between support and control characteristic of the youth welfare office's work. "Unfortunately," the office stated, "child welfare may be compromised, even if all legal requirements and internal standards have been meticulously followed." Further court sessions are scheduled as the proceedings delve deeper into decision-making processes and the distribution of responsibilities in the youth welfare office regarding the discontinuation of support measures.
- The Reutlingen County Youth Welfare Office, along with health-and-wellness and mental-health professionals, must account for the delayed intervention in a case involving two neglected children who suffered from ear infections, severe tooth decay, lice infestations, and emotional neglect.
- General-news outlets have been reporting on the trial of the two employees, with coverage extending to the field of crime-and-justice as the Tübingen Public Prosecutor's Office accuses them of neglect.
- Despite the multiple agencies and individuals involved, including social workers, caseworkers, an educator, and a family helper, thorough examinations are required to ascertain the distribution of responsibilities and the reasons behind the delay in recognizing and addressing the extent of the children's suffering.
