Shortage of skilled workers endangers the future of the Brugg children's home!

Shortage of skilled workers endangers the future of the Brugg children's home!

The Brugg Children's Home Foundation looks back on an exciting year 2024, which brought with it both farewells and new challenges. After more than 26 years at the helm, Rolf von Moos said goodbye as home and business manager. Under his leadership, important milestones were achieved, including the renovation and new construction of the children's home on Wildenrainweg as well as the successful takeover of the Olsberg Abbey from cantonal sponsorship and the Familynetwork association in Zofingen. His successor, Daniel Wölfle, took office on September 1, 2024 and had previously served as institutional director of Olsberg Abbey. Wölfle was well accepted both within the foundation and by external partners.

In his first few months, Wölfle dealt intensively with the evaluation of the organization. A central project is the planned observation station in Olsberg Abbey, for which the canton has already given the green light. Completion of the station is targeted for August 1, 2026. It will offer 18 places, divided into a children's and a youth department, which will be co-educational. It is expected that the project will generate around 5 to 6 million francs in sales and employ 40 additional people.

Financial perspectives and challenges

In 2024, the foundation achieved sales of around 21 million francs, with personnel costs amounting to around 16.5 million francs. After deducting the costs, there was a positive result of around 600,000 francs. However, the shortage of skilled workers is highlighted as a fundamental problem that affects staffing and thus calls into question the foundation's financial success. Wölfle emphasized the high level of commitment of the entire team with the central goal of ensuring the well-being of the children.

In addition, investments were made in the ritualization of everyday life in order to offer the children and young people support and security. Despite the positive developments, there were also challenges: of 664 requests processed, 209 were not fulfilled. FamilyNetwork, which looks after foster families, was able to attract 12 new families, but the urgent need for more foster families remains high. At the beginning of 2024, FamilyNetwork's mandate management service was resumed, whereby an employee takes on child and adult protection mandates on behalf of public bodies.

Sustainability and future projects

The foundation also focuses on sustainable projects, such as the installation of a new wood chip heating system in Olsberg Abbey. An architectural firm has already been commissioned for the upcoming major maintenance work on the buildings in Brugg in order to ensure long-term preservation of the value of the properties. Cantonal requirements, such as the benchmark requirement for “performance-related compensation”, mean additional business challenges.

The discussion about various projects continues, including the reorganization of the special day school in Brugg and cooperation with mainstream schools. The coming period will be crucial for how the foundation meets these challenges while maintaining the quality of its offerings. In this context, the well-being of children and young people always remains at the center of the efforts of the Brugg Children's Home Foundation. Further information on this topic can be found on the website Aargauer Zeitung and Fricktal.info be read.