Sign of Caritas © Michael Althaus (KNA)
Caritas in Lower Saxony complains about increasing costs in disability aid due to more and more legal regulations. It presented in addition on Monday in Vechta before journalists a scientific study of the university there.
According to the report, the financial expenses in the facilities, for example, for fire protection, traffic route or medication safety and hygiene management have increased considerably. Between 2010 and 2017, there had been increases of often well over 100 percent. Caritas demands compensation of costs by health insurance companies.
Caritas pleads for more trust
At the same time, the Catholic Welfare Association suggests a review of the meaningfulness of some regulations. Oldenburg's regional Caritas director Gerhard Tepe spoke of a growing “culture of mistrust”. The question must be asked whether all these requirements must apply equally to all facilities in detail. More trust should also be placed in the local staff.
As an example of regulations that do not make sense, Caritas cited the twice-yearly check of employees' driver's licenses. A driver could lose his or her license for a traffic offense the very next day, according to the criticism. Regulations, such as those on the prevention of sexual abuse, are extremely useful. Caritas lists a total of around 40 requirements, including playground inspections, the testing of electrical systems and building regulations.
“Perceived additional burden” now proven by study
Tepe, who is also chairman of the working group of the Caritas mechanisms of the handicapped assistance in Lower Saxony, announced a letter to the responsible ministries still in this week to the thing. So far, there has only been a “perceived extra burden” due to work that is not part of the core area of care for the disabled. The scientific study now proves this.
The study of the University of Vechta under the direction of the business economist Gerald Eisenkopf had the data of 13 Lower Saxon facility carriers in the area of handicapped assistance with altogether about 3.000 employees and 10.000 persons cared for and compared. In the case of ten facilities, the costs in the comparison period were higher than the general price and wage development. In the medium term, this development “will become a strategic challenge for the facilities”.