Protection concept for children and adolescents

We hear with the children's ears

“Child protection is not a mandatory task for us, but a lived responsibility and an expression of our self-image. We hear with the children’s ears.”

Judith Grümmer, founder of Familienhörbuch gGmbH

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contents
1. preamble

The Familienhörbuch gGmbH accompanies sick mothers and fathers with a life-shortening diagnosis in capturing their life story with their own voice – as a lasting future gift for their children. We accompany parents through audiobiography work in an existentially challenging situation. These people bring the courage, strength and love to pass on their own and family history and personality without passing on ‘missions’ to the children.

Families participating in our project are at this special time of their lives. We are committed to recognizing this as a precious asset and to acting with special sensitivity to the living conditions of families. Knowing that what arises in a family audiobook will one day reach a child. This gift of the future for the surviving children is our core mission and yet we will never meet most children. This raises a question that guides our actions:

How do we protect children now and in the future who will go their way of life with the family audiobook?

We have responded to this question with a comprehensive risk factor analysis with the help of external support. On this basis and the further development of protective factors, we look at our processes from the perspective of the best interests of the child. For us, child protection is not just a formal obligation, but a lived attitude. It is evident at every stage of our work: in the respectful treatment of the sick parents, in the careful design of the sound recordings and in the continuous development of our processes with regard to the well-being of the children.

2. mission
Family is where children live and experience relationship

Family is any community in which children grow up for us, regardless of marital status, gender, origin or legal status. This includes couples and single parents, biological parents, stepparents, foster parents and adoptive parents, patchwork families and other care communities.

Preserving family culture and strengthening identity

The family audiobook preserves more than memories – it gives children roots and wings, support and orientation. It carries on family culture: Values, rituals, stories and the answer to the question ‘Where do I come from?’ This strengthens identity-building for a lifetime. We respect and respect the cultural, ideological and linguistic backgrounds of all participating families in accordance with the German constitution and democratic fundamental rights.

The child is perceived as a person with their own needs, fears and rights

The child's position as a subject is maintained, especially during the crisis. The child is the focus of the family audiobook and under special protection. A family audiobook preserves memories – there are answers to many life questions for mother or father, even after their death, and can provide relief. It is important not to overwhelm the child who will grow up with this audiobook.

We are power sensitive and respect personal boundaries

In the accompaniment of families, the design of the audiobook and in dealing with incriminating content, we continuously question: Do we respect the boundaries of the child? Our goal is to strengthen the autonomy and needs of children and to protect their dignity.

Not every truth needs to be told

Truth needs the right time and form – and sometimes space – to ask questions and classify what is heard together. As it is often no longer possible to ask questions or exchange information directly during audio recordings, we accompany the process with particular care – with a view to what children can hear and understand now and in the future. We advise on the choice of words and look at what inner images are created when listening – especially for children.

Both parents are appreciative.

The child's relationship with both parents is protected. Even in different walks of life or conflicts, we treat each parent with respect and respect for their dignity. A family audiobook serves the relationship and identity development of the child, not the demarcation.

Reflection and critical questioning are an integral part of our work

Supervision, collegial case reviews and the four-eye and four-ear principle are binding quality standards – to protect children and ensure ethical decisions.

A family audiobook is a gift without expectations

The child decides in a need-oriented way how to deal with the family audiobook and when, if and how he wants to accept this offer. A family audiobook may also be set aside or rejected – the pace and type of use is determined solely by the child in the private environment. Contradictory feelings can also arise.

Dignity and respect are the basis of our work

Where statements would devalue or hurt people, we pause. In a trusting dialogue, we work together to develop formulations that correspond to the truth of the narrators – without violating the dignity of others.

A gift that grows with you: For children of all ages – now and later

The audiobook is designed for children at all stages of their lives, whether they are young or already adults. The questions ‘Who were you?’ and ‘What shaped you?’ are revisited at different stages of life. We help parents tell stories in such a way that their words can provide answers both today and in the distant future. Protected chapters (safety chapters) preserve content that could be detrimental to young children’s ears – accessible only when the child is ready for it.

3. Legal basis

The protection of children and adolescents from danger, violence and abuse is a task for society as a whole that the Familienhörbuch expressly commits itself to as a non-profit society. Even if the organization is not active as a provider of child and youth welfare within the meaning of SGB VIII, it is consistently oriented towards the recognized legal and professional standards for child protection and sees them as a binding institutional commitment. All forms of violence, abuse and neglect are not only ethically unacceptable, but also criminally relevant. This child protection concept formalizes the responsibility that we derive from the following legal circumstances:

3.1 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Article 3 obliges all institutions to treat the best interests of the child as a primary consideration in all actions concerning children. Article 19 obliges States Parties, and thus indirectly all social actors, to protect children from any form of physical or mental violence, ill-treatment or abuse.

3.2 §§ 8a and 8b SGB VIII and § 4 KKG (in accordance with the Federal Child Protection Act)

The protection mandate enshrined in § 8a SGB VIII in the event of endangerment of the best interests of the child makes it clear that all persons who come into contact with children on a professional or voluntary basis have a special responsibility. This basic idea also applies to the family audiobook: Employees and volunteers are sensitized to perceive signs of a possible endangerment of the best interests of the child. There are clear internal procedures for dealing with such perceptions, which ensure that no one has to decide on their own and that the best interests of the child are always guiding the action.

The right to advice from a skilled person with experience in this respect, as provided for in § 8b SGB VIII, reflects the principle that expert assessment is essential in case of doubt. The family audiobook adopts this principle as a voluntary standard: In case of uncertainties in dealing with indications of endangerment of the best interests of the child, external expert advice is consulted. This protects the children concerned, relieves the burden on the persons acting and ensures a well-founded and proportionate response.

§ 4 KKG (Law on Cooperation and Information in Child Protection) applies to employees who belong to the group of professional secretaries and regulates how to deal with the conflict between confidentiality and responsibility to protect: The priority is always the careful consideration in the dialogue, by no means the hasty action and also not the looking away. This principle is followed by the family audiobook in our internal procedures.

4. Risk analysis

At the heart of our work are people at the end of their lives and their families. The rare direct contact with children arises above all when audio biographers perform recordings in the home environment or in institutions and children are present as family members.

4.1 Identified risk factors
Situational risks

• Home visits by audio biographers in a private environment
• Reception situations in which children are present (or involved)
• Exceptional emotional situations due to the topic (death, farewell, grief)

Family risks

The reception situation often takes place at home, i.e. in a private environment. Audiobiographers may, even unintentionally, perceive indications of an existing risk to the best interests of the child, which exists independently of the family’s palliative situation. Emotional closeness and trust increase the likelihood of such clues appearing in conversation.

The content and emotional impact of the audiobook

The family audiobook is not a neutral product – it arises in an exceptional existential situation and carries it within itself. Children are confronted with the loss of the parent through the audiobook for a lifetime, even long after death. This entails specific risks:

Content of the recordings: What does a parent say – how open, how burdensome, how age-appropriate is it for the child?
Time of hearing: When and in what context does a child listen to the audiobook – immediately after death, years later, alone or with others?
Long-term effects: Content that seemed appropriate at the time of recording may have a different effect at a later stage in the child's life
Lack of accompaniment: If no adult accompanies the child while listening

4.1 Assessment

The situational risk is low, as children are usually absent during recordings. Family risks are not controllable, but recognizable. Therefore, audio biographers must be able to perceive indications of a risk to the best interests of the child and know which steps will follow, regardless of whether the risk is related to the disease. The substantive risk, on the other hand, is structural in nature – it cannot be completely ruled out because it is inherent in the nature of the product. It must therefore be actively considered and addressed through targeted measures: by accompanying the parents during the creation process, by making clear recommendations for the transmission of the audiobook to the children and by referring to supplementary specialist support for the family.

5. Code of Conduct on Child Protection

We work consistently in the best interests of the child, even if the children are not physically present.

5.1 Preamble to the Code of Conduct

Our work is aimed at families in one of the most difficult life situations: A parent is seriously ill or dying. We support incurably and life-shorteningly ill parents in creating a lasting legacy for their children – in the form of memories, messages, stories or other materials available to the children after the death of the parent.

Although we usually do not have direct contact with the children, we bear a special responsibility for their well-being through contact with the sick parents and their families in this vulnerable situation.

• We are working on materials that will make a lasting impact on children's lives
• We have access to intimate family data and sensitive information
• Our work can give comfort and support to children – or put a strain on them
• We are moving in a highly sensitive emotional context

This code of conduct serves as an orientation for our work and protects both the children concerned and us as employees from border crossings.

5.2 Basic attitude: Focus on the child

We work consistently in the best interests of the child, even if the children are not physically present.

We are committed to:

  • The key question: ‘Does this serve the best interests of the child?’, even if the sick parent should wish otherwise
  • Thinking about children's needs and rights
  • Check content to see if it provides comfort, support and identification for children
  • Sensitively deal with the life reality of the children after the death of the parent
  • Preserving the dignity and rights of children, even when they are not present

We avoid:

  • Create content that could incriminate, embarrass, or scare children
  • Only implement the wishes of the dying parent without considering the best interests of the child
  • Putting our own ideas or values above children's needs
  • Producing content that overwhelms children or developmental psychology

We pay attention to:

  • Topics that are not suitable for children’s ears, to be created and transferred separately in appropriately marked “chapters for later”.


Standard is the four-ear principle: Content that has been compiled as an audiobook is generally checked against by at least one other person from a child's welfare perspective.

If uncertainties arise here, we follow the internal procedure to obtain the appropriate technical expertise (see below).

5.3 Data protection and confidentiality

We have access to the most intimate moments and information from families in extreme life situations. This access obliges us to take the utmost care in the handling of personal data – to protect the families and, in particular, the children who will one day receive these materials.

We are committed to:

  • Keep family data and personal information strictly confidential, including beyond the end of the project and your own employment relationship
  • To pass on information to the team only to the extent necessary and exclusively for professional purposes
  • Encrypted digital communication and secure data storage
  • Pseudonymize or anonymize internal meetings wherever possible
  • Obtain clear declarations of consent from the sick parent for the processing of sensitive data
  • Limit access to project data to employees who are directly involved in the respective project

We avoid:

  • Use of project content or family information for own purposes, including anonymised without consent
  • The transfer of family or child data to third parties without explicit consent
  • Insecure communication channels when transmitting sensitive data

We pay attention to:

  • Destroy personal data that is no longer required after project completion in accordance with data protection requirements
  • Treat children as their own subjects of data protection law. If children are included in materials by name, image or content, this is documented separately
  • Clearly regulate the handover of materials after the death of the parent: Who is entitled to receive? Who authorizes the handover? This is already bindingly determined at the beginning of the project
  • That children may at a later stage develop their own interests in the content created about them – and that we take this into account when creating and storing the materials – by carefully and respectfully handling information about children who have never authorised them themselves.
5.4 Dealing with the wishes of parents

We accompany our project participants with empathy and respect for their self-determination – and at the same time see it as our responsibility to actively consider the best interests of the child.

We are committed to:

  • To take the wishes of the parent seriously and to treat them with appreciation
  • At the same time to examine critically with a view from the outside: ‘Does this serve the child?’
  • In case of concerns, seek the conversation with the parent and bring about a clarification in the dialogue
  • Offer alternative formulations or formats that express the same concern in a more child-friendly way
  • In case of serious concerns, involve the management and/or child protection officer of Familienhörbuch gGmbH
  • In the extreme case of rejecting an order or not implementing individual content if it would demonstrably harm the child's best interests
5.5 Dealing with direct contact with children (exceptional situations)

As a rule, we do not have direct contact with children. If this happens exceptionally, the following principles apply.

We are committed to:

  • Maintaining professional distance and keeping our role: We are not there as a companion, trustee or therapeutic support for the child, but as an audio biographer: in the project participants
  • To explain our role to the child only after prior consultation with the parent – age-appropriate, honest and without overburdening the child
  • Never include children in project content without parental knowledge and consent 
  • Report observations indicating a risk to the best interests of the child internally and act in accordance with applicable child protection procedures

We avoid:

  • Direct contact with children outside the agreed situation
  • Asking children about project content or involving them in decisions
  • Incorporate your own emotional distress into the contact with the child

We pay attention to:

  • That unannounced or unplanned encounters with children – such as home visits – are briefly documented internally
  • That uncertainties about the correct handling in the team or with the child protection officer are discussed before acting independently
5.6 Reflection, collegial counselling and self-care

Working in the context of the family audiobook can be emotionally touching, stressful and unsettling. In order to be able to work in a permanently professional and child-friendly manner, we continuously reflect on our work – in a team and on our own responsibility.

We are committed to:

  • For regular participation in practical support
  • Use supervision in challenging cases
  • In case of uncertainty regarding questions of the best interests of the child, seek collegial advice
  • Take breaks and time-outs
  • Perceiving one’s own emotional distress and overburdening – and actively addressing it instead of passing it on
  • Submitting a project if the personal concern is too great

 

Our principle is: We don't have to handle everything alone. The fact that there will be situations in which we resonate, which touch or unsettle something within us is not unprofessional as long as we deal with it professionally. Collegial reflection is quality assurance and self-protection and takes place within a protected framework – not casually, but consciously and confidentially.

5.7 Transparency and documentation

We document our work transparently and comprehensibly.

We are committed to:

  • Document relevant decisions, deviations from the standard process and concerns about the best interests of the child in a comprehensible manner
  • Consistent use of existing protocols and systems for documentation – not in the sense of a bureaucratic act, but as protection for all parties involved
  • Record verbal agreements with participants who are relevant to child protection in writing
  • Keep documentation confidential and only share it internally
Our principle:

The use of the existing documentation systems serves the comprehensibility of our processes and the protection of all parties involved – and is part of professional action, not an additional effort

5.8 What to do in case of uncertainty?

Not every situation is clear. For moments of uncertainty, the following key questions help:

  1. Best interests of the child: Does my actions serve the best interests of the child?
  2. Transparency: Would I do that if others knew?
  3. Professionalism: Can I justify my decision professionally?


If a question is answered with ‘No’ or ‘I am unsure’: Stop and include collegial advice or leadership!

5.9 Consequences of non-compliance

This code of conduct reflects the fundamental values of the family audiobook.

Violations of this Code of Conduct will not be tolerated. Depending on the severity and context, the following consequences may follow:

  • Clarification meeting with the management
  • Documentation of the incident
  • Mandatory supervision or training
  • warning
  • In the serious case: Termination of cooperation


In the event of suspicion of endangering the best interests of the child, the statutory reporting obligations apply – irrespective of internal consequences. This Code of Conduct is not a document of censure – it is an expression of our common position and our claim to ourselves.

5.10 Validity

This Code of Conduct applies to:

  • All full-time employees
  • All volunteers
  • Trainee(s)
  • Fee-based staff
  • All persons who have access to sensitive family data or are involved in the creation process


It is reviewed regularly (at least annually) and adjusted if necessary.

6. Intervention plan

Child protection is not an individual task – it is a shared responsibility of all those working in the family audiobook. Employees are obliged to take observations they obtain seriously and pass them on. In case of doubt: It's better to talk too much than too little. No one has to decide alone.

Stage 1:
Perception and documentation

An employee, e.g. an audio biographer, perceives something that concerns them – whether in direct contact with the child, through narratives in the audiobook process or through observations in the family.

Document in writing
• What was perceived (concrete observation or statement)
When and in what context
• How the child or the person involved worked

The documentation is factual and descriptive – no interpretations, no evaluations.

Stage 2:
Internal consultation with the production team

The audio biographer discusses the observation with the production team.

Common assessment
• Is it a diffuse concern or a concrete suspicion?
• Has there already been a conversation with the parent in which the situation regarding the best interests of the child has been discussed?
• Are there any other observations from the project team (e.g. from the interview with the psychologist or the initial interview)?

This stage is for guidance, not to decide whether to act. Diffuse concerns are also reported.

Stage 3:
Advice from the child protection officer

The internal child protection officer – at the same time a trained psychologist and psycho-oncologist – is called in. She assesses the situation professionally, advises the team and decides on further steps.

This advice is mandatory for:
• Concrete suspicion of endangering the best interests of the child
• Uncertainty in the team about the assessment
• Statements or contents that have arisen in the audiobook process and contain indications of danger

Together with the child protection officer, it is assessed which support options are suitable. Unless contrary to the best interests of the child, these will be discussed with the project participants. Prior to a report to the youth welfare office, a case and specialist consultation is required.

Stage 4:
Involvement of the Youth Welfare Office

If the previous steps have been taken or if there is an acute danger, the local youth welfare office is involved by or in consultation with the child protection officer.

The audio biographer is not solely responsible for this decision. It provides the documentation.

Acute endangerment – immediate action
In the case of the impression of an acute endangerment of the best interests of the child, which arises from concrete statements or observations, the following applies:
• Contact the child protection officer on the same day
• If this is not available, the management or the production team will be contacted to discuss further steps (e.g. contacting a case and specialist consultation).
• Do not wait until the project is completed

Together with the child protection officer, it is assessed which support options are suitable. Unless contrary to the best interests of the child, these will be discussed with the project participants. Prior to a report to the youth welfare office, a case and specialist consultation is required.

Special situation:
Notes from the contents of the recordings As part of the audiobook production, confidential recordings are created in which sick parents freely tell about their life, their family, their everyday life. Content can be created or named that goes beyond the narrative of stressful life situations and gives indications of a danger to children, such as descriptions of violence or neglect.

Specificity of this situation:
 The recordings are made in confidence. The storyteller is at the same time a parent, vulnerable and ill. A rash reaction can destroy the working relationship and jeopardise the project itself, which serves the well-being of the family.

storyline

  • As long as it does not further burden the best interests of the child, we transparently seek the conversation with the narrating parent and encourage them to seek professional support.
  • The own perception as well as the exchange with the parent is then documented in writing
  • It is made transparent that this topic is discussed in a timely manner in the team, there is a corresponding feedback.
  • From level 2 onwards, the regular intervention process applies
6.1 Dealing with internal suspicions

In the event of internal suspicion, reports are sent to the child protection officer, who discusses them with the management responsible for human resources. In the event of a serious suspicion against an employee, the accused person is released from his or her duties for the duration of the clarification process. If necessary, external expert advice will be consulted.

Supervision and mediation are available to all parties involved. For each individual case, the form in which the team is transparently informed is assessed.

If the suspicion is confirmed, personnel law consequences follow. If necessary, legal advice will be sought. If the suspicion turns out to be unfounded, the rehabilitation plan takes effect.

6.2 Rehabilitation

The aim of rehabilitation is to restore the reputation of the wrongfully accused person as well as to restore a basis of trust in the team and the organization. The person is offered to resume his activity.

Further steps are agreed in advance with the person concerned: A step will not be implemented until the person has agreed to the proposed course of action.

All persons who knew of the accusation will be informed of its removal. The team is involved as part of supervision. The wrongfully accused person is offered individual supervision.

If the case was publicly known, the management shall inform the public of the clarification by means of an opinion.

7. Contact persons and complaint channels

We are open to questions and feedback on this concept and our work. Feedback from families and participants from our project is particularly valuable and we see it as an opportunity to continuously develop and take our protection mission seriously.

Because we are aware that critical feedback in particular is sometimes difficult to address, we offer all children, adolescents and adult recipients: Inside a family audiobook various ways of contacting:

Child Protection Officer:

Child Protection Officer:
Inge Schnitzler
Psychologist and Psychooncologist
kinderschutzbeauftragte@familienhoerbuch.de
Telephone: 0151 5079 6231

Management:
Judith Grümmer
judith.gruemmer@familienhoerbuch.de

Anne Braasch
anne.braasch@familienhoerbuch.de

Ethics Advisory Board:
ethikbeirat@familienhoerbuch.de

Dr. Franziska Röseberg
Psychological service | Helios Klinikum Bonn/Rhein-Sieg

Dr. Christoph Schmidt-Petri
Moral Philosopher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Sandra Vohl
Child and adolescent psychotherapist University Hospital Cologne

Postal (anonymous):
Family audiobook gGmbH
Oberländer Wall 24
50678 Cologne, Germany

8. Qualitative development of audiobook work
8.1 Multi-professional quality management

In order to continuously develop the child-friendly audiobooks, a multi-professional team is involved in the internal quality process. At regular intervals, specialists from pedagogical and psychological or psycho-oncological fields listen randomly to the productions, document and discuss their assessments. It is important to us: Of course, even difficult life topics can have their place in the family audiobook – they should not be standardised from the outside. Rather, it is about employees being able to provide targeted and sensitive support, if necessary, to convey the heavy content in a child-friendly manner and with the essential core. The systematic integration of different professional perspectives is thus understood not only as an instrument of quality control, but as the basis of a learning and protection-oriented production practice.

8.2 Training courses

All audio biographers undergo sound training before being commissioned by Familienhörbuch gGmbH. In addition to audiobiography work, this comprehensive curriculum also teaches aspects of child welfare and child protection. This also creates space for dealing with one's own role.

In addition, we have developed an internal training concept so that all our employees have the opportunity to deal further in-depth with child protection.

8.3 Accompanying research and participation

In order for our work to have the effect that we intend, scientific accompanying research has been of great importance since its foundation in 2019.

The children as the actual recipients of the audiobook are always considered in our actions. At the same time, we take their particular vulnerability seriously – they are in an already serious situation and should not be burdened additionally. For this reason, we have so far decided not to actively involve them in research, even with an average age of around 7 years. An invitation to voluntary feedback is the exception. However, with growing experience, there is also a growing potential to involve children and families more and to draw conclusions for our work from the results. The research team continues to discuss this issue.

8.4 Ethics Advisory Board

The assessment of the circumstances of life and the self-determined biography narrative is a central concern for us – but in exceptional cases this can conflict with statements that may not be useful for the development of the surviving child. This is one of the many reasons why we have appointed an Ethics Advisory Board as an accompanying advisory institution and independent place of negotiation. It meets several times a year and can be convened by the management.

9. Evaluation and updating of the child protection concept

A child protection concept is not a static document, but a living instrument that we are constantly developing.

9.1 Regular evaluation

Our child protection concept undergoes a systematic review every two years. It examines whether the defined measures, standards in audiobook production and structures are effective, whether there is a need for action and whether the concept continues to comply with current legal and professional standards.

The evaluation shall include in particular:

  • checking all building blocks for up-to-dateness, functionality and effectiveness
  • the evaluation of feedback from our project participants and recipients as well as from employees, volunteers and cooperation partners: inside.
  • the consideration of new technical knowledge and legal requirements
9.2 Responsibility

The responsibility for carrying out the evaluation lies with the management in cooperation with the designated child protection officer. Since child protection is a network task, we contact an experienced specialist or consult counselling centres if necessary.

9.3 Occasional review

Irrespective of the regular evaluation cycle, the child protection concept is revised on a case-by-case basis if feedback from the ongoing operation shows an urgent need for action, e.g. through the results of participatory surveys, complaints or social developments, which are reflected in the audiobooks.

9.4 Documentation and communication

All evaluation results and changes made are documented in writing. The updated concept is made available to all employees and communicated internally in an appropriate form. The current version of the concept can be viewed by external parties on request and is publicly available in its essential outlines.

And that's just for you. You are happiness. Even if you don't see me anymore, I'm here and you can feel it. Such a connection as we have, which remains.

A project participant