Employees With Care Responsibilities

A carer is someone who permanently cares for a person in their private environment at least two days a week and spends ten hours or more doing so.

The definition of a relative is regulated in Section 7 (3) of the Caregiver Leave Act. This includes:

• Grandparents, parents, parents-in-law, step-parents,
• Spouses, life partners, partners in a marriage-like or life partnership-like relationship,
• Siblings, spouses/cohabiting partners of siblings and siblings of spouses/cohabiting partners,
• Children, adopted or foster children, children-in-law and grandchildren, and
• Children, adopted or foster children of the spouse or partner

In the case of acute care emergencies (e.g., due to a fall, accident, or stroke), employees can take a short-term leave of up to ten days from work to arrange appropriate care for the affected relative or to ensure caregiving during this time. During this period, there is generally no obligation to continue paying wages. Under the TV-L (Collective Agreement for the Public Sector of the Federal States), employees are entitled to one day per calendar year of paid leave if the person in need of care lives in the same household. Additionally, you can apply for carer's grant from the long-term care insurance fund of the person in need of care, which replaces a large portion of the lost wages. You must inform the university, as your employer, of the short-term work absence and its expected duration without delay.

You can find information on long-term care insurance benefits, health care proxies, care and living wills and the organization of care in the  Federal Ministry of Health's Online Guide to Care or at the  advice centres in your town or district. People in need of care of all care levels are also entitled to comprehensive advice from care advisors from the long-term care insurance fund or independent advice centers.

The Caregiver Leave Act (PflegeZG) offers support and flexibility for employees who wish to temporarily reduce or completely suspend their professional activities to care for a relative in need of care. It regulates the statutory entitlement of employees with employers (typically with more than 15 employees) to take care leave in order to provide home care for close relatives (with at least care grade 1). Care leave allows employees to take full or partial leave for up to six months. During care leave, employees are protected from dismissal but are not entitled to continued payment of wages. To ensure financial security, it is possible to apply for an interest-free loan from the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions.

In addition, employees can apply for full or partial leave of up to three months to accompany a close relative in the final phase of their life. An interest-free loan can also be requested from the Federal Office of Family Affairs and Civil Society Functions during this period.

In addition to care leave, family care leave allows employees to take up to 24 months off work if they care for a close relative in need of care at home and work at least 15 hours a week. This minimum working time of 15 hours per week during family care leave is intended to prevent employees from giving up their jobs entirely to care for their relatives. Employers with 25 or fewer employees are not legally obligated to offer family care leave.

In addition, care leave and family care leave can be combined, but must be taken immediately after each other. The total duration of the (partial) leaves of absence may not exceed 24 months.

Further information on care leave and family care leave can be found on the " Wege zur Pflege" portal of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs or at " pflege.de". The care hotline of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs offers telephone advice for relatives from Monday to Thursday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm on 030 20179131.

In order to take advantage of care leave or family care leave as an employee at UOS, you must submit an application in a timely manner (at least ten days before the start date). You will need a certificate from the long-term care insurance fund or the medical service of the health insurance company confirming that your relative is in need of care. In the case of accompanying a dying relative, a medical certificate confirming the limited life expectancy of the relative is required. The relevant application forms can be found  on UOS Internal.

Representation of Interests and Self-Help

 Wir pflegen e.V. - Advocacy and self-help organization for family caregivers, consisting of a federal association and five state associations as well as individual state representatives. The  state association wir pflegen Lower Saxony was founded in 2023.

 Self-help group for caregiving relatives in Osnabrück - Association of caregiving relatives of people with physical impairments. The meetings usually take place on the third Monday of the month.

 Alzheimer Gesellschaft Osnabrück e.V. Selbsthilfe Demenz - Self-help organization that offers information events, personal consultations, discussion groups and further training as well as emotional support and practical help to relieve the burden on family members and carers through dementia companions.

Support for Families With Children With Disabilities

 Wunderbunt e.V. - An association that offers families with disabled children of all ages from the city and district of Osnabrück independent and free advice on various topics. There is also a networking service with regular network meetings, themed evenings and toddler groups for younger children and friend groups for older children.

 Familienentlastender Dienst (FED) of Lebenshilfe Osnabrück - The FED provides families with volunteer helpers who accompany children, young people and adults with disabilities at home and in their free time.