Overview

• SPD family policy spokesman Alexander Freier-Winterwerb warns that thousands of minors endure months or years in facilities unsuitable for children
• District inquiries show families in Pankow average over three years in shelters and those in Lichtenberg nearly two years
• SPD proposals include an immediate protected housing program for families, mandatory social workers in every shelter, and systematic child protection monitoring
• The ‘Kindergipfel’ is set to convene political leaders, administrative officials, welfare organizations, and scientific experts
• Advocates caution that prolonged stays in unstable, non-pedagogical environments severely undermine children’s social, emotional, and educational development