When the Schulbegleitung is absent – what matters now
The message arrives in the morning:
“The Schulbegleitung (school-support assistant) is off sick today.”
And suddenly the whole day is up in the air.
Can the child even go to school today? Who stays at home? What happens with work? And how do you organise, within a few minutes, a day that was actually planned quite differently?
For families with a child with a disability, the short-notice absence of a school or nursery support assistant can change the entire course of the day.
It is precisely in situations like this that it can be incredibly valuable to already have another familiar person as part of family life.
Depending on the federal state, the Schulbegleitung is also called Schulassistenz, Teilhabeassistenz, Integrationshelfer or Inklusionshelfer – in each case the same support in the school or nursery day is meant.
In some regions the decision simply says Schulhelfer. The word changes, the task stays the same.
Depending on the region and the decision letter, the person alongside the child is a Schulbegleiterin, a Schulassistent, a Teilhabeassistentin or Teilhabeassistent, and in some places an Integrationshelferin, an Inklusionsassistent or an Inklusionsbegleiter.
Anyone applying for a Schulbegleitung also knows the waiting time: between the application and the day someone is actually there, weeks often pass. So if you want to apply for a Schulbegleiter, it is better to plan that time in from the start.
And everyday life looks different in every family – whether your child attends a Förderschule (special school), a Sonderpädagogisches Förderzentrum (special-needs support centre), a Schulvorbereitende Einrichtung (SVE, a pre-school support setting) or a mainstream school with a Schulbegleiter at primary level.
Can the au pair replace the Schulbegleitung?
The basic principle is:
An au pair is not a Schulbegleitung (school-support assistant) and does not replace one.
They are neither deployed by the school as a Schulbegleiter or Integrationshelfer nor do they automatically take on those tasks or that responsibility.
Even so, it can be worth speaking early on with the school or nursery about what individual options exist if the Schulassistenz is absent at short notice.
Depending on the setting and the situation, it can, for example, be clarified whether and under what conditions the au pair would be allowed to accompany the child in such an exceptional situation.
This is not a one-size-fits-all solution and must always be agreed individually with the relevant setting and, where applicable, any other responsible bodies.
And if the child has to stay at home?
This is exactly where a further advantage of an au pair becomes clear.
Because a cancelled school day doesn't automatically have to mean that the whole family routine collapses.
Within the agreed working hours, the au pair can spend part of that time with the child.
Perhaps familiar exercises from school are practised again.
There is reading, drawing or crafting together.
Perhaps there is a little activity session, a walk, or a visit to the playground.
Naturally, this does not replace a regular school day, and it does not turn the au pair into a teacher.
But the morning can be made meaningful, familiar and structured.
The child already knows this person
For children who find change difficult, a day like this, unplanned, can be a real challenge.
The usual Schulbegleiter is missing. The normal daily routine changes. Perhaps school is cancelled altogether.
In this situation, the au pair is not some unfamiliar emergency carer.
They already know the child.
They know what the child likes to play with, which activities bring them joy, and how certain routines work at home.
That can give an unplanned day a bit of familiarity again.
The siblings don't automatically have to take a back seat either
Perhaps the child with a disability needs more support that day.
Then the au pair can provide support exactly there.
Or the roles are shared differently: one parent looks after the child, while the au pair is there for the siblings and helps carry them through their normal daily routine.
The decisive advantage remains the same:
The family has one more person with whom they can reorganise the day.
Some families combine the Teilhabeassistenz with a Familienentlastender Dienst (FED) or Familienunterstützender Dienst (FUD). These services are not part of what we offer, but they can be another route to relief.
A cancelled day becomes a different day
An au pair cannot prevent a Schulbegleitung from being absent.
Nor can they simply replace the Schulbegleitung.
But they can help cushion the impact on the whole family.
Instead of having to organise unfamiliar care within a few minutes in the morning, there is already someone there who knows the child and the family's daily routine.
And if school or nursery genuinely isn't possible that day, a chaotic cancelled day can at least become a structured day at home:
a bit of practising, a bit of playing, going outside, eating together – and shaping the day in whatever way suits the child at that moment.
Nursery, school and the support behind them
Some children attend a Heilpädagogischer Kindergarten (therapeutic nursery), an Integrationskindergarten or a Förderkindergarten, others have an Integrationsplatz (an inclusion place) in a mainstream setting. Inklusion in Kita und Schule – inclusion in nursery and school – therefore looks a little different in every family.
Which Förderschwerpunkt (area of support need) has been identified, whether a sonderpädagogischer Förderbedarf (special educational need) exists and which Nachteilsausgleich (compensation for disadvantage) has been agreed is something you clarify with the setting and the responsible bodies. We do not advise on that.
A Nachteilsausgleich at school can mean more time, an aid or a quieter room. An au pair does not carry out the Nachteilsausgleich — but it knows the arrangements that follow from it at home.
And if you are ever asked how to become a Schulbegleiter yourself: that route runs through local services and providers, not through an au pair agency. Anyone who wants to work as a Schulhelfer or Schulbegleiter will learn there which requirements apply.
For the au pair, something else matters in the end: they know your child, their signals and the routines at home.
Our tip from Besondere Sterne
If your child relies on a school or nursery support assistant – called Schulassistenz or Inklusionshelfer depending on the federal state – speak to the setting as early as possible about what options exist for short-notice absences.
Ask there as well whether a Familienentlastender Dienst (FED) or Familienunterstützender Dienst (FUD) in your region can cover absences and holiday periods.
If an au pair lives with your family, you can also clarify at the same time whether, and within what framework, they could provide additional support in such an exceptional situation.
And even if accompaniment within the setting isn't possible, one decisive advantage remains:
At home, there is already a familiar person who can cover part of the day.
An au pair does not replace a Schulbegleitung.
But they can make sure that its absence doesn't automatically become an absence for the whole family.
