Akti(F) Plus - Active for families and their children

The Akti(F) Plus programme aims to improve the living conditions and social inclusion of families and their children who are at risk of social exclusion and poverty.

Akti(F) Plus is designed to respond to the increased individual support needs of families and their children.

The target group includes:

• Families/parents with children receiving benefits under Book II or Book XII of the German Social Code (SGB II or SGB XII) (including supplementary, "top-up" benefits).
• Families receiving child benefit supplement or who are eligible for it
• Families, i.e. parents - and, where appropriate, other adult members of the household (e.g. common-law partners) - and their children at risk of social exclusion and poverty.
  

Funding is being provided for activities that improve the individual living situation of these target groups by supporting parents in entering and/or expanding an occupation and contributing to the establishment and expansion of cooperation structures to better support the families.

Possible approaches are:

• Supplementary support in the integration process for unemployed parents through individual counselling/coaching services (family coaches/ guides/ navigators/ mentors), where applicable in the form of outreach services, provided in addition to the benefits under Book III and Book II of the German Social Code (SGB III and SGB II). The counselling´s focus is on individual or family problems (such as restricted mobility, lack of childcare, lack of structure in their daily lives or addiction problems) preventing them from taking up work or improving their employability, for instance by making it difficult to take advantage of benefits and services to promote their integration into work or their participation in working life.
• Counselling or coaching services are designed to enable working parents to stay in occupation and/or to expand their occupation to meet their livelihood needs.
• Supporting parents with disabilities, in particular, in claiming and using benefits and services in line with their needs to promote their participation in working life or in claiming supplementary occupational assistance under Book IX of the Social Code (SGB IX). The counselling services are provided in close consultation with the relevant employment agencies, job centres or rehabilitation funds.
• Funding is also designed to contribute to improving structural and cross-jurisdictional cooperation (for instance SGB II, SGB III, SGB VII, SGB VIII/KKG (Act on Co-operation and Information for Child Protection Enhancement), SGB IX and SGB XII) at the local level. The insights gained in the Akti(F) 2020-2022 pilot programme are being harnessed to further develop successful approaches in the new ESF Plus funding period 2021-2027 in consultation with the Länder.