The voluntary welfare associations in Germany : an overview

The traditional role of voluntary welfare associations has changed and will change further on. Recent legislation strongly influenced by the European Union largely abolished their prominent and privileged role in corporatism. The traditional way of co-operation was substituted with new forms of welfare-mix and welfare-pluralism including more and more other private non-profit, but also for-profit providers of social welfare and services. Partly the voluntary welfare associations have already adjusted themselves to these new problems and challenges. Main tasks however still must be fulfilled to find the future role under changed framework conditions: -The new balance of different interests of traditional member organizations and providers of social services, -the maintaining of the leading role as providers of social services in the "new world" of welfare-pluralism and market-orientation and the necessary integration of new approaches of self-help, voluntary and charity work.