Children and young people with a significant mental or physical impairment (including those at risk of developing such an impairment) who require individual support in order to attend school can be accompanied by so-called integration assistants. 

Integration assistants accompany children and young people through their everyday school life (including on the way to school) and thus support their integration into school and participation in the general school system. The specific tasks of school assistants are determined by the individual needs of the students and are highly personalized. 

For example, they provide:

• Assistance with practical tasks at school (e.g., help with dressing and undressing, orientation, going to the toilet) 
• Assistance in class (e.g., setting up a workspace, guiding hands)
• Support in social and emotional areas (e.g., calming down) 
• Help with communication 

Integration assistance is a support measure and not an educational or teaching support measure. Integration assistants are therefore not "second teachers." 

We usually determine the need for support by means of a so-called "overall plan," taking into account a school report.

The use of integration assistants may be necessary for children and young people who, due to their disability, require immediate, individual support when attending school. This enables them to integrate into the class and the school community and fulfill their compulsory schooling requirements. 

This applies to students

• with particularly challenging behavior.
• who endanger themselves or others.
• with special communication needs.

Belonging to the group of persons eligible for benefits is determined by a corresponding (official) medical certificate.

If students require support from integration assistants while attending school, you must submit an application for integration assistance services. 

• For students who live in Mainz, please contact the Integration Assistance Service of the Social Services Department of the City of Mainz.
• You will receive advice as the applicant or can submit an application immediately.
• To apply for integration assistance, you can download the application form and attachments as PDF files and send them to us once completed.
• You may be asked to submit additional documents.
• For minors, the legal guardians can act as applicants.
• Students over the age of 18 can submit the application themselves or appoint a representative. 
• Other persons may also submit an application. Please contact the Social Services Office of the City of Mainz in advance.
• We carry out a participation or overall planning procedure to determine the individual's need for integration assistance. A trusted person can be consulted during the overall planning procedure. 
• Once all documents have been submitted, we will review the information and the needs assessment to determine whether and to what extent integration assistance will be provided. 
• After reviewing the application, the applicant will receive a decision.

The applicant may 

• file an appeal within one month of notification of the administrative act: for adults, with the Social Services Office of the City of Mainz or the State Office for Social Affairs, Youth, and Care; for minors, with the Social Services Office of the City of Mainz.
• file a lawsuit with the social court within one month of notification of the appeal decision.

• You must adhere to the deadlines set for the submission of documents. If this is not possible for understandable reasons, you must apply for an extension. Otherwise, we may refuse to provide benefits due to non-compliance with the legal obligations to cooperate.
• This also applies to the deadlines for appeals, i.e., if you disagree with the decision—not only the rejection decision, but also the approval decision (amount of the resulting benefit entitlement).

The processing time for your application depends on various factors and varies from case to case. 

The applicant submits an application for integration assistance to the responsible authority. 

If the applicant's place of residence is in Mainz at the start of the benefit period, then Mainz City Council is the competent authority for integration assistance.  

Note: If the application has been submitted to an authority that is not responsible, it must forward it to the competent authority for integration assistance within 14 days and inform the applicant that the application has been forwarded.

Before contacting the Social Services Office of the City of Mainz as an applicant, you can also contact a "Supplementary Independent Participation Counseling Center" (EUTB). Their services include information and advice on rehabilitation and participation benefits. The advice provided by the EUTB services is given by people affected by the issues for people affected by the issues. The EUTB services are independent of any particular provider. 

In Mainz, this counseling is provided by the "Center for Independent Living."

You will find the link to the service under the heading "Further information" at the bottom of this page.

• Application for integration assistance benefits under SGB IX for children and adolescents
• Appendix: Obligations to cooperate
• Declaration of release from confidentiality
• Identity card
• Medical certificates/reports from the school medical service
• Educational statement from the school (This should indicate the necessary qualifications for school support in addition to the need for assistance.
• Support assessment (Children's Neurological Center, Mainz)
• Discharge reports from the clinic
• We may need additional documents from you, which we will request when reviewing your application.

The application process is generally free of charge for you. 

Please note that any costs incurred for specialist medical certificates must be paid by the applicant. 

We do not require any contribution from the parents' income and/or assets.