Germany Develops Youth Mental Health Strategy Amid Staffing and Inclusion Challenges
Germany is formulating a youth mental health strategy that faces challenges in meaningful youth involvement and addresses critical staffing shortages in schools.
- • German government is working on a mental health strategy focusing on prevention and early detection.
- • Federal Youth Council criticizes lack of youth involvement in strategy development.
- • School psychologist staffing remains inadequate with one per 5200 students.
- • Advocates propose staffing ratios of one social worker per 150 students and one psychologist per 300 students.
- • Teachers need better training and students play a role in building supportive school environments.
Key details
The German government is advancing a national strategy focused on the mental health of young people, emphasizing prevention and early detection of mental illnesses, including educational measures, counseling services for parents, and professional training in schools. However, concerns are mounting regarding the meaningful involvement of young people in this process and the adequacy of school-based mental health staffing.
According to the Federal Youth Council, as voiced by chairman Wendelin Haag, the government has yet to concretely address how youth representatives will participate meaningfully in shaping the strategy. Haag criticized the approach, stating, "It cannot be that once again a strategy is developed behind closed doors without the expertise of those directly affected." The Federal Youth Council has submitted strong proposals titled "Strengthening the Mental Health of Young People in Crisis Times" that they urge the government to integrate. Moreover, the government acknowledges that involving children and adolescents is vital to strengthening democracy and expects this to be reflected in practice.
On the ground in schools, post-pandemic hiring of school psychologists remains insufficient, with roughly one psychologist available for every 5,200 students. The government lacks comprehensive data on the number of school social workers, and funding primarily comes from individual state budgets with no extra federal support. Advocates call for a national strategy including staffing ratios of one social worker per 150 students and one psychologist per 300 students to establish a multi-professional infrastructure. Teachers, 78% of whom report feeling overwhelmed by student mental health issues, also require better training.
Further, students are encouraged to actively contribute to fostering community and supporting newcomers, such as Ukrainian students, to promote a positive school environment. A forthcoming education congress led by the Federal Student Conference and supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation aims to unify student voices in advocating for mental health improvements.
This developing mental health strategy sits amid ongoing challenges around staffing shortages, funding disparities, and participatory deficits, highlighting the need for comprehensive, youth-inclusive reforms to address mental health in Germany’s schools effectively.