🧒 The child's own rights, independent of the parents

Children have a right to non-violent upbringing, to participation and to advice without their parents knowing.

children's rights ban on violence participation advice Jugendamt right to upbringing

In brief

Your child has rights of their own.

Right to care and upbringing without violence, corporal punishment, psychological harm and other degrading measures.
Right to be involved in youth welfare decisions that concern them, appropriate to their stage of development.
Right to contact the Jugendamt themselves.
Entitlement to advice without the parents' knowledge, as long as informing the parents would defeat the purpose of the advice.

Advice and participation must be understandable.

Step by step

ListenTake your child's worries seriously.
Show where to get adviceShow your child the Nummer gegen Kummer (116 111).
Involve themInclude your child in decisions that concern them.

Deadlines

Entitlement, no deadline

Advice without the knowledge of the persons with custody, as long as the purpose of the advice would otherwise be defeated§ 8 Abs. 3 SGB VIII

Entitlement, no deadline

Upbringing without violence§ 1631 Abs. 2 BGB

Watch out – common mistakes

The right to advice without the parents' knowledge applies only as long as informing them would defeat the purpose of the advice.
Age limits for exercising individual rights were not checked.
Whether children's rights are expressly written into the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) was not checked.

In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Non-violent upbringing

§ 1631 Abs. 2 BGB: Children have a right to care and upbringing free of violence, corporal punishment, psychological harm and other degrading measures.

Participation and advice

§ 8 SGB VIII (Abs. 3 Satz 1: "Children and young people"): Children and young people must be involved, according to their stage of development, in all decisions of public youth welfare that concern them. They have the right to turn to the Jugendamt in all matters of upbringing and development. Children and young people are entitled to advice without the knowledge of the person with custody, as long as informing that person would defeat the purpose of the advice. Participation and advice take place in an understandable, comprehensible and perceptible form.

Not checked

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, children's rights in the Basic Law, procedural guardian and ombudsman offices.

Who is responsible

Jugendamt
Nummer gegen Kummer (children's and youth helpline 116 111)

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „The child's own rights, independent of the parents“?

Children have a right to non-violent upbringing, to participation and to advice without their parents knowing.

Which deadlines and figures matter?

Entitlement, no deadline: Advice without the knowledge of the persons with custody, as long as the purpose of the advice would otherwise be defeated (§ 8 Abs. 3 SGB VIII)
Entitlement, no deadline: Upbringing without violence (§ 1631 Abs. 2 BGB)

What should I do first?

Listen: Take your child's worries seriously.
Show where to get advice: Show your child the Nummer gegen Kummer (116 111).
Involve them: Include your child in decisions that concern them.

What do I need to watch out for?

The right to advice without the parents' knowledge applies only as long as informing them would defeat the purpose of the advice.
Age limits for exercising individual rights were not checked.
Whether children's rights are expressly written into the Basic Law (Grundgesetz) was not checked.

Evidence

Gesetze im Internet, § 1631 BGB, retrieved 20 September 2026
Gesetze im Internet, § 8 SGB VIII, retrieved 20 September 2026
Nummer gegen Kummer e. V., nummergegenkummer.de, retrieved 20 September 2026

As of

September 2026 · Sources and method

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