Financial assistance for leisure and education apparently does not reach many children and adolescents from low-income families in Saxony. According to an analysis by the Bertelsmann Foundation, the monthly participation allowance of 15 euros for social and cultural activities is particularly underutilized. In Saxony, only 14.2 percent of eligible children aged 6 to under 15—who are entitled to this support because they receive basic income—actually receive it. Among 15- to under-18-year-olds, the figure is as low as 8.1 percent.
Funds for lunch and school are better utilized
While the situation looks better for the other benefits in the education and participation package, even here, by no means all eligible recipients are being reached. In Saxony, nearly 45 percent of children aged 6 to under 15 receive financial assistance for school lunches, but only 11.4 percent of those aged 15 to under 18 do. For school supplies, the rates are highest at 73.8 percent and 56.4 percent.
“The low uptake isn’t because the children don’t have a need. Rather, the amount is small and the process to obtain it is very cumbersome,” emphasizes Antje Funcke, an expert at the Foundation for Family Policy. According to Funcke, varying approval and application procedures, complex forms, and extensive documentation requirements make it difficult for parents to apply for the benefits.
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