The FAMICO project has been implemented by the Börde district, among others, since 1 October 2022 and is funded by the European Social Fund plus (ESF+) and the state of Saxony-Anhalt as part of the REGIO AKTIV funding guideline. Four family integration coaches and a project assistant are being funded.
Thanks to the great commitment and dedication of the project staff, visible successes have been achieved in the Börde district in close cooperation with local organisations, educational institutions and companies since the project was launched in October 2022: A total of 286 family benefit communities with a total of 541 children have been included in the project, including 219 single parents. 78 people were successfully integrated into employment or training subject to social security contributions and a further 21 participants took up marginal employment or moved on to further measures. The trend is rising.
The four family integration coaches are active in the regions of Haldensleben, Oschersleben, Wanzleben-Börde and Wolmirstedt and are closely networked with the employment agencies and social services in the district through the respective offices in the job centres.
The focus is on family benefit communities with at least one child under the age of 18, where either both parents or a single parent are recipients of citizen's benefit. Participation is voluntary and therefore relies on active participation and motivation to tackle the often heavy rucksack step by step and break vicious circles. This can take up to 18 months.
Intensive, holistic and strength-oriented counselling forms the basis, as does a trusting relationship with one another. The family integration coaches provide support with everyday challenges - be it filling out forms, applying for benefits for education and participation (BuT), with application documents and job interviews, finding daycare places, accessing educational programmes, helping to tackle addictions and debts or with questions and needs for action relating to the healthcare system.
Once a job or even an apprenticeship has been found, the FAMCIOs remain at the families' side for another six months. This is because the often life-changing, time-consuming and, yes, initially energy-sapping new situation is often overwhelming when various authorities request documents that you may not even have yet. But don't worry, the FAMICOs know their way around this paperwork marathon and confusion or use the good contacts within the network.
The coaching strengthens employability, promotes social participation and not only opens up new career prospects. This reduces the risk of long-term unemployment and social isolation. For families, this means a better quality of life and long-term stability.
The current funding phase runs until 30 September 2025 and will be extended until 31 December 2027 with all four coaches. Contact is made via the personal contact persons at the Börde district job centre.