In 2025, youth welfare offices across Germany temporarily took protective custody of approximately 56,900 children and adolescents. According to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), this figure represented a reduction of 18 percent, or about 12,600 fewer minors than in the previous year.
This trend follows a seven percent decline in temporary placements in 2024 (a drop of 5,100 cases). Consequently, the overall number of cases has dropped by nearly a quarter over two years (-24 percent or 17,700 cases), reversing a period in which protections measures had increased for three consecutive years, reaching close to 74,600 in 2023.
The volatile case numbers seen since the 2010s are largely attributed to changes in the influx of unaccompanied minors from foreign countries. The current downward trend is also explained by a significant reduction in both temporary and regular placements involving unaccompanied entries. Within a single year, the number of these cases nearly halved, dropping from around 30,800 to just under 16,500 (-47 percent). Concurrently, cases reported by minors themselves saw a slight increase of about 870, reaching approximately 10,100 (+9 percent), while severe threats to the child’s welfare rose by 850 to over 30,300 (+3 percent). The increase in self-reports marked the fifth consecutive rise, and the increase in severe welfare threats was the second consecutive rise.
Almost every second protective measure (53 percent) in 2025 was taken due to an immediate threat to the child’s welfare. The reasons for these protective measures included unaccompanied entry in 29 percent of cases and self-reporting by the minors themselves in 18 percent of cases. Most affected individuals were already adolescents aged 14 or older, though nearly two-fifths (38 percent) were still children under 14. One-fifth (20 percent) of all affected minors had run away from home, and about the same percentage (19 percent) were found in a dangerous environment. Prior to the placement, 59 percent of minors lived in a family or private household, while 20 percent were in institutional care. In the remaining cases, their previous living situation was either unknown (14 percent) or they had no fixed accommodation (7 percent).
The most common causes necessitating a protective measure in 2025 (multiple counts possible) were parental overload (32 percent), unaccompanied entry (29 percent), neglect (16 percent), physical abuse (15 percent), and psychological abuse (11 percent).
Despite the overall decrease in numbers, mentions of nine out of the total thirteen possible causes increased compared to the previous year. The largest increases were observed in cases of physical and psychological abuse (+1,114 and +941 mentions, respectively). As a result, physical abuse rose for the second consecutive year, and psychological abuse rose for the sixth consecutive year. The growth was particularly strong among girls in both categories (+745 and +750 mentions). In 2025, the proportion of girls affected by physical abuse stood at 65 percent, and by psychological abuse at 62 percent, compared to just under 49 percent of all minors in the population.
Nine percent of cases involved the guardians or parents submitting an objection to the protective placement because they disagreed with it. The highest objection rates were seen in suspected neglect (26 percent), psychological abuse (25 percent), sexual violence (22 percent), and physical abuse (19 percent). A high objection rate can suggest that the guardians lack the willingness to cooperate in resolving the threat to the child’s welfare. Should the welfare office believe that the threat remains even after an objection, it can petition the family court to implement necessary measures to secure the child’s well-being, a procedure used by the youth welfare offices in 82 percent of all objection cases in 2025.
Following the protective measure, one quarter (25 percent) of the children and adolescents returned to their previous living location. Another 44 percent were housed at a new location after the placement. In 14 percent of cases, the individuals ended the protective placement themselves, often by leaving the measure. The responsibility for the minors changed in 8 percent of cases, and the measure concluded in another 8 percent of cases by other means. These statistics regarding the conclusion of measures apply only to regular placements and do not include temporary ones.
