[Development of child guidance clinics in Germany--an overview]. / Entwicklung der Erziehungsberatungsstellen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland--ein Uberblick.

The development of child guidance centres began before 1910 with single institutions characterized by various subject areas (medicine, pedagogy, psychology) as well as by the connection of counselling and therapeutic treatments. Since about 1920 it has become customary to call such institutions child guidance centres. A consistent development lead to the fact that in the Child and Adolescent Aid Law of 1990 child guidance centres are called institutions which are capable of handling different problems with a multi-professional staff and various methods, and offering counselling and treatments as required. People seeking advice shall be able to contact child guidance centres directly of their own free will.

[Responsibility of child guidance counseling services in suspected sexual abuse]. / Zur Arbeit von Erziehungsberatungsstellen bei Verdacht auf sexuellen Missbrauch.

Some of the widely accepted assumptions concerning the correct way of dealing with alleged sexual abuse of children are considered. The claim is made that sexualized behaviour need not always be an indication for sexual abuse, but could rather result from a sexualized children culture or tradition. The teaching that one must always believe juveniles who claim that they have been sexually abused is considered doubtful an the general claim that "fathers are the abusers" is criticized. The suitability of the victim-perpetrator terminology for the work in child guidance centres is questioned. Finally, the frequently recommended conspirative way of dealing with allegations is rejected and instead the plea is made for closer co-operation between experts and police or state prosecutor. All in all it ist argued that child guidance centres should call more attention to their own particular possibilities in dealing with sexual abuse.

[Child psychiatric management since the fall of the Berlin wall and introduction of child and adolescent welfare regulation]. / Kinderpsychiatrische Versorgung seit dem Fall der Mauer und der Einführung des KJHG.

An analysis of a survey on public child and adolescent psychiatric services in Berlin shows that three years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall a psychosocial gap between the two cities still exists. After the reunification the new Child Help and Child Protection Law in Germany (Kinderund Jugendhilfegesetz) presented a common regulation for therapeutic and psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents. For the moment the advantages of this new legislation have no consequences in the daily practice of child psychiatrists in East Berlin. The consequences of these differences for child psychiatrists in the Public Health System are discussed in this article.