Without them, arriving in Germany would be even more difficult than it already is: the social workers of the specialized service for refugees at the district office. They are the first point of contact for people from all over the world seeking refuge in Tübingen County. In most cases, the men and women become active on their own initiative, because they know when refugees newly arrive in the district—for example Ukrainian refugees at the Hotel Convita in Rottenburg. As one of the social workers reports, they are also on site there two days a week to answer questions. Appointments can also be made by email. Conversations are confidential in all cases.
The first thing social workers do is help people apply for social benefits, whether it’s from the job center or the social welfare authorities, for example, when it comes to basic benefits. They also explain how child benefit or kindergarten registration works. They also know about language courses. They are also the people to contact when it comes to employment—although they cannot go looking for jobs for refugees themselves or write applications. The situation is similar when it comes to finding housing: the social workers give tips, but they do not actively search for accommodation themselves.
There are 34 men and women working at the specialized service for refugees in three teams, which are distributed among the Tübingen area, Rottenburg and the surrounding area, and the Steinlach Valley. For most cities in the district, they are also the first point of contact for anyone living in a follow-up accommodation. Only the city of Tübingen looks after this group with its own staff. This applies to all Ukrainian refugees who have been in Germany for longer than six months and all asylum seekers with a residence permit.
There is a lot more information and also addresses on the homepage of the district office and the city of Tübingen:
https://www.kreis-tuebingen.de/Startseite/landratsamt/fachdienst+for+refugees.html
https://www.tuebingen.de/verwaltung/dienststellen#/F/hilfen_fuer_gefluechtete
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Der Fachdienst für Geflüchtete im Tübinger Landratsamt. Foto: tünews INTERNATIONAL / Scheyda Karasu.
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