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Apply for a benefit similar to parental allowance when taking in a child for full-time foster care as a foster parent

If you are a caregiver in the City of Bremen and take in a child (no older than 3 years of age) and take parental leave, you can apply for compensation for a portion of the lost income.

  • Basic information

    Foster parents make a significant contribution to youth welfare services. While foster parents are entitled to parental leave under the Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act (BEEG), they are currently not entitled to parental allowance. The existing monthly lump-sum allowance for foster parents is not always sufficient to compensate for lost income, particularly during the early years of a foster child’s life.
    The City of Bremen is therefore introducing a voluntary, special benefit similar to parental allowance on a transitional basis.

    Requirements

    • Taking in a foster child aged 0 to under 3 years
    • Applying for parental leave for the foster child
    • Full and unpaid leave from gainful employment
    • No engagement in self-employment
    • No receipt of transfer payments
    • The applicant is the primary caregiver for the foster child

  • Procedure
    • This special benefit, which is similar to parental allowance, is granted upon application. 
    • The application must be submitted after the foster child has been placed with the family. 

    More information

    This benefit is provided as a voluntary municipal benefit and automatically ceases as soon as a federal or state law governing the payment of parental allowance to foster parents takes effect. The entitlement also ceases as soon as the eligible recipients no longer meet the eligibility requirements.

  • Necessary Documents
    • Proof of acceptance of the foster child
    • Proof of requested parental leave
    • Employer's certificate of unpaid leave of absence
    • Declaration that you are not self-employed
    • Notice of discontinuation of transfer payments

  • Competent Department

  • Fees / Costs

    free of charge

  • Deadlines & processing time

    What deadlines must be paid attention to?

    Benefits are provided until the foster child reaches the age of three (up to a maximum of 36 months from the date of placement).

    How long does it take to process

    The processing time depends on whether the submitted documents are complete.
    A decision is typically made shortly after the application is received.

  • Legal Bases

This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.

The official information in German is complete and correct.

Updated on 05.09.2026

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