New carer-led advocacy organisation
On 29 March 2025, wir pflegen e.V. – Germany’s federal carer organisation –successfully launched the 8th ‘Land-specific’ carer-led advocacy organisation. This time in Rhineland-Palatinate, a German state bordering onto France, Belgium and Luxembourg, with a population of 4 million citizens. The state capital is Mainz, next elections to the Land parliament are scheduled for 2026.
Five carers and former carers were elected as Directors of the Board (geschäftsführender Vorstand), a further ten to the extended governance committee. All bring extensive additional professional skills to the role and prepared in two strategy workshops for the setting-up of the organisation.
Press and media work and high-level meetings with local politicians will follow once the charity-recognition process has been completed. “Eight down, eight to go”, comments Sebastian Fischer, referring to Germany’s 16 Länder, all of whom have significant powers for the provision of care services and support. “Our aim is a German-wide representative structure to allow informal carers recognition and representation as equal partners in care.”
