Women's shelters are an essential part of the support system for women and their children affected by violence. They offer protection, security, and the opportunity to develop new perspectives in a safe environment. To best fulfill this role, women's shelters need clear and binding quality standards.
With its quality recommendations, the German Women's Shelter Coordination Association (FHK) provides professionally sound guidance for the work of women's shelters. The recommendations were developed in collaboration with professionals from women's shelters and welfare organizations and take into account current social developments as well as international standards such as the Istanbul Convention and the GREVIO State Report for Germany.
The quality recommendations define the requirements women's shelters must meet to effectively support women and their children affected by violence. They include, among other things:
Requirements for personnel and space
Standards for psychosocial counseling and support
Recommendations for the care and support of children in women's shelters
Criteria for cooperation with other support systems and the consideration of new needs, for example in the area of digital violence
A special focus is on providing needs-based support to all women and their children – regardless of their background, life circumstances, or individual experiences of discrimination. The recommendations serve as guidelines for women's shelters, providers, professionals, donors, and political decision-makers. They support the establishment of new shelters, the further development of existing services, and the assurance of reliable funding.
The quality recommendations are regularly reviewed and further developed to meet the changing challenges and needs of the support system. They contribute to ensuring comparable, high-quality standards in women's shelter work across the country – for strong, reliable, and sustainable support for women and their children affected by violence.
The complete quality recommendations are available for download as a PDF:
The following federal associations are members of the Women’s Shelter Coordination Association
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