The nationwide helpline "Pregnant women in need" offers initial psychosocial counseling for pregnant women, the social environment, and qualified specialists. The service is available 24/7 at 0800 40 40 020, free of charge, anonymously, free of obstacles, and in 18 languages - also for women who have come from Ukraine - in Ukrainian, Polish, Russian, or English if required. The aim of the offer is to refer to a local pregnancy counseling center.
Further information and online counseling from the helpline 'Pregnant in Need' can be found at hilfetelefon-schwangere.de/en.
Irrespective of nationality, the Federal Foundation Mother and Child also provides support for pregnant women in emergency situations. Furthermore, it provides financial assistance in particular for maternity clothing, layette, housing and furnishings as well as for the care of a young child. Women who recently had to flee from Ukraine can apply for support from the Foundation at pregnancy counselling centres in a non-bureaucratic way. Any missing documents can be submitted at a later stage.
The information leaflet with all relevant information about the Foundation and its offers are available in Ukrainian on the website of the Federal Foundation and can also be downloaded here as well as ordered. In addition, an information poster in German and English in DIN A3 format provides information about the assistance provided by the Federal Foundation Mother and Child. First and foremost, it should reach pregnant women who have fled better. It contains three QR codes that take one directly to the Federal Foundation's information leaflets in German, English, and Ukrainian. The information poster is particularly suitable for counseling centers, clinics, medical practices, and all other places that have contact with refugees.
The National Centre for Early Intervention (Nationales Zentrum Frühe Hilfen) offers additional counselling and information. It has compiled an overview for pregnant women and families on elternsein.info in Ukrainian, English and Russian. Professionals in the field of early intervention have access to training, resources and further information on supporting refugee families at fruehehilfen.de.
The Guide to child day care in Germany offers the most important answers for parents with children of daycare age. The Guide is aimed at Ukrainian families as well as private persons, institutions, and organizations that advise refugees on child daycare. It is available in Ukrainian and German.
In Germany, all children from the age of one have a legal right to child daycare. The Guide shows how parents can find a childcare place for their child, how the start with daycare, and what the childcare costs are. More information on the various forms of care, opening hours, meals, the requirements for infection protection, and cooperating with families is summarized in the guide.
In addition, the German Federal Association of Family Daycare has been providing information on caring for children in daycare in different languages for years. The information is now also available for download in Ukrainian.
Further information on the possibility of free child care can be found at “Financial support for families“.
The two-year model project ‘fem.point’ of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth started in July 2022. It offers women who have fled Ukraine in Berlin comprehensive counselling and placement in qualification and employment, including language acquisition and support services for children. The objective is to integrate the participants into the labour market. The concept is based on experiences from the previous model project “POINT – Potentiale integrieren” (POINT – integrating potentials), which was carried out from 2017 to 2019 in Berlin for women fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. “fem.point” is continuing to further develop the solutions found there. There are both low-threshold open contact offers (contact point ‘Café fem.point’) as well as binding individual coaching formats (including educational counselling, job coaching, initial support after taking up employment).
To the website (in German language)
information flyer PDF, 125 KB, not barrier-free (partly in Ukraine language)
information flyer PDF, 125 KB, not barrier-free (partly in Russian language)
Further information can be found here.
The more than 530 multi-generation houses throughout Germany also offer a wide range of support. They are contact points in the neighborhoods and, together with volunteers, help people who have fled from Ukraine. Depending on the location, the offerings and activities range from meeting cafés, arranging interpreters, psychological support, sponsorships and, if necessary, arranging accommodation. In addition, some facilities also offer hot meals, help with applications, leisure and advisory services, language courses with childcare, and the provisioning of decentralized relief goods databases for refugees. Some of the multi-generation houses also organize benefit events and fund-raising campaigns or run charity stores. You can find houses near you here.
Nummer gegen Kummer e.V. (Number Against Sorrow; in German language) is an association that aims at being a competent contact for children, young people and parents to help them with small and big worries, problems and fears. This includes heartbreak as well as school problems, but also very serious situations such as sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts. The advisors at ‘Nummer gegen Kummer’ primarily act as partners in dialogue who respect the anonymity of those seeking advice and provide help for self-help.
Their ‘Helpline Ukraine’ is aimed specifically at Ukrainians and offers telephone advice in Ukrainian and Russian for children, young people, parents and relatives.
Helpline Ukraine
0800 500 225 0 (anonymous and free of charge throughout Germany)
Monday to Friday, 2 pm to 5 pm
To the website
Multigenerational houses can be found nearly everywhere in Germany. In total, there are about 530 of those places for encounters promoting neighborly coexistence. Everyone is welcome – people of all ages with different cultural and religious backgrounds. They spend time together, learn from and with each other, are there for each other and shape “their” multigenerational house with a great deal of voluntary commitment. Those who would never have met in everyday life meet here – for example during a language course, the repair café or homework tutoring.
Multigenerational houses are firmly anchored in their municipalities and always close to what is happening. This is how unique offers for the locals can be created. Here are a few examples of what you can experience in the multigenerational house:
- come over for a cup of coffee, have some conversations and get to know people of all ages. In the open meeting (Offener Treff), everyone is welcome.
- you would like to become involved and test your talents and abilities? Volunteering will put a smile on your face and on the faces of others.
- learn from and with each other – for instance how you can manage your career start or how to use a smartphone, tablet or other device in old age.
- breathe new life into old items and ensure sustainability – for example during swap meets or in the bicycle workshop.
- come to the multigenerational house for consultation and support – for instance in the form of advice on education and better computability of family, care and occupation.
- give your opinion on how neighborhood should look like – in the multigenerational houses, your voice is heard.
Please, find more information here: www.mehrgenerationenhaeuser.de
Frühe Hilfen advise and support families with young children from Ukraine.