Berlin Schools Failing to Monitor Their Own Child-Protection Plans

An investigation published in Berliner Zeitung on 21 October 2026, written by Anna Schütz, revealed that Berlin's schools are failing to ensure child protection plans are properly implemented. While all Berlin schools are formally required to develop 'Schutzkonzepte' — documents outlining how to prevent abuse and what steps to take when abuse is suspected — neither the Senate Education Authority nor the school inspectorate has a mechanism to verify that these plans are genuinely put into practice. The article quotes Kerstin Claus, Germany's Federal Commissioner against Sexual Abuse of Children and Adolescents, who called for binding national standards and direct government accountability: 'Child protection is not a nice-to-have.' The investigation framed the failure as a political responsibility, not merely an administrative oversight, arguing that the absence of mandatory monitoring leaves children exposed. Berlin's decentralised school governance and stretched inspectorate capacity were cited as contributing factors. The article called for the Senate to introduce compulsory audits of protection-concept implementation across all schools.