Germany’s youth welfare crisis leaves troubled teens without secure care

Vulnerable teens with extreme behavioral disorders face a broken system. Why are nine states offering *zero* secure placements—and who’s responsible for fixing it?

, and Administrator

2025 November 7 . 9:16 AM

1 min read

This is a collage image. On the left side of the image we can see a kid is crying. In the top right... — This is a collage image. On the left side of the image we can see a kid is crying. In the top right corner we can see a kid is sitting on a chair and also we can see the wall, boards. In the bottom right corner we can see a kid is sitting on a chair and holding a doll and also we can see the wall, boards.

Shortage of therapy places for young 'system troublemakers' - Germany’s youth welfare crisis leaves troubled teens without secure care

Germany's youth welfare system struggles with a critical shortage of secure residential spots for adolescents aged 12 and over with severe behavioral issues. While child and adolescent psychiatric hospitals have adequate short-term beds, long-term clinical placements are scarce, with only three states maintaining a significant number of these spots.

North Rhine-Westphalia leads with 66 secure residential spots, excluding attached therapy placements. However, adolescents struggling with substance abuse, autism, chronic school refusal, and behavioral disorders linked to sexualized violence often find it challenging to secure suitable placements due to narrow admission criteria and high entry requirements.

The SPD has advocated for expanded capacity, but the responsibility lies with local municipalities, not the state government. Currently, the exact number and location of additional secure residential care placements are not uniformly available, as data varies regionally and efforts to expand these capacities are ongoing. Nine united states have no secure residential spots, and four states have just one facility with limited capacity.

The severe shortage of therapy spots for minors with extreme behavioral issues in Germany requires urgent attention. Local municipalities must work together to close this gap and provide appropriate long-term placements for vulnerable youth.