Budget significantly increased – contact points in all districts across Austria – already supporting over 12,000 children
Vienna (OTS) – Life with a child can bring a lot of joy, but it can also bring with it insecurities and excessive demands. “Early Help” is a preventative support offer for expectant mothers and families with babies and small children – a phase of life that is characterized by changes and challenges. As of January 1, 2024, the budget resources were multiplied: the federal government, states and social insurance will now jointly finance “early help” with a total of 21 million euros per year. So far, 5.4 million euros have been available per year, and since 2022 a total of 15 million euros have been available for nationwide expansion from EU funds. Since it started in 2015, over 12,000 children have been supported through the “Early Help” program, 3,500 of them last year alone. ***
Pregnancy and early childhood lay a central foundation for health and quality of life in childhood and later adult life. Psychosocial support, especially for families in stressful life situations, is therefore essential in this phase of life and has great individual and social benefits. The early help offering takes this into account – they offer needs-based support for families who are confronted with social challenges. A multi-professional team is available to those affected close to home with individual advice and practical support in everyday life.
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has pushed forward the Austria-wide rollout of “Early Help” since it started in 2015. A total of 15 million euros from funds from the EU program “NextGenerationEU” were made available as part of the Austrian recovery and resilience plan for the nationwide rollout of early aid in Austria. As part of the financial equalization, financing for a comprehensive offer was secured in the long term. Through third-party funding, the federal government, states and social security now provide 21 million euros annually for the program.
“The foundation for a healthy life is laid in childhood. It is therefore all the more important to support those families for whom the period before or after the birth of their child is a challenge. The ‘Early Help’ program provides low-threshold and free support to families in difficult situations. “In this way, we enable children to grow up healthy and offer them protection, support and social participation,” emphasizes Social Affairs Minister Johannes Rauch. “The project particularly benefits those families who are already confronted with social challenges. Families at risk of poverty, single parents and families with a migrant background have particularly taken advantage of the offer so far. This makes it clear that this accurate support service offers help to everyone who really needs it.”
“Pregnancy and the first few years as a family are usually the most beautiful phases in life, but at the same time they can also be extremely challenging. That depends on your individual life situation. We want to particularly support mothers and families during this time and give them a hand. As part of the financial equalization, we are now investing more money in the “Early Help” program, which offers professional teams, in addition to practical support in everyday life, also a contribution to promoting the skills of mothers and fathers in their role as parents. The aim is to prevent developmental disorders and delays and to promote health,” says Family Minister Susanne Raab.
The “Early Help” program is an overall concept that supports (expectant) mothers and families from pregnancy to the age of 3 and takes families’ specific life situations and resources into account. The families are referred by experts, often from the health sector, to the regional early help network, which accompanies families, selects suitable support offers such as parent education, educational advice, etc. and establishes contact with local providers. In this way, measures can be taken early and health can be promoted.
The early help networks are available across the board in all districts of Austria. The implementation is provided with technical support by the National Center for Early Help of Gesundheit Österreich GmbH (GÖG), which was set up on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Questions & Contact:
Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK)
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