School support workers: role, tasks, limits

Legal status: 09.10.2026. This article uses two municipal guidance documents as examples (City of Bochum, North Rhine-Westphalia; District of Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg). Responsibilities, task descriptions and procedures differ by state and municipality. The guideline expired on 23.03.2026. ^[2]

Goal and role

The guidance document of the District of Esslingen describes the goal as enabling participation in education; school support should, where possible, be help towards self-help, with the far-reaching goal of making itself superfluous. ^[5] The guide of the City of Bochum describes two forms: goal-focused school support (a concrete, short- to medium-term goal, after which the support ends) and function-supporting school support (which also supports, in the longer term, individual functions central to taking part in lessons). ^[4] Legally, the guidance and support needed at school because of the disability can be provided to several people entitled to benefits together, as far as this is reasonable (section 112 para. 4 SGB IX). ^[3] In Bochum, according to the guide, several individual assistances can be combined into “pools”. ^[4]

Possible tasks

Both guidance documents name, depending on the individual case, among other things:

• accompaniment and orientation in the school building, help with practical daily activities, support with aids and work materials ^{[4; 5]}
• help with communication in lessons and with fellow pupils ^{[4; 5]}
• structuring the school day and the learning situation, supporting attention ^{[4; 5]}
• stabilisation in the socio-emotional area; enabling withdrawal and leading back into the group; intervening in stress situations and de-escalating (Bochum) or prevention and intervention in cases of danger to self and others and crisis intervention (Esslingen) ^{[4; 5]}
• Indirect tasks (Esslingen): regular reflection and coordination with teachers, parents and professionals, taking part in support-plan or overall-plan meetings, further training and supervision. ^[5]

What is not part of the tasks

• Teaching and special-needs education of the pupils as well as adapting teaching material. ^{[4; 5]}
• Primarily relieving teachers, teaching assistance for the whole learning group, separating the child from the learning group. ^[4]
• Compensating for missing structural or material equipment. ^[4]
• Duty of supervision, guarding or coercive measures according to the Bochum guide; the Esslingen guidance document names “ensuring the duty of supervision” as not belonging to the tasks (see below on subordinate supervision). ^{[4; 5]}
• Therapy: The guideline stated that the assignment of school support workers is not the implementation of therapeutic approaches. ^{[1, Ch. C.10.2.3]}

The Bochum guide also states: school measures take precedence over school support, and school support is never the sole measure for ensuring inclusive schooling. ^[4]

Supervision, instructions, data protection (example Baden-Württemberg)

According to the Esslingen guidance document, the duty of supervision during school attendance lies in the primary responsibility of the school; the school support worker has a subordinate duty of supervision if targeted arrangements have been made between school and school support, for example on room changes or breaks. Schools and teachers are generally not entitled to give instructions to school support workers; this depends on the employment relationship. School support workers must treat personal information confidentially and may pass it on only with written consent. ^[5] This is the account of a municipal guidance document, not a legal check by the editorial team; in other states it may be different.

Cooperation

As success factors, the Esslingen guidance document names an appreciative attitude between school and school support, good communication among all those involved and a transparent allocation of tasks from the start. ^[5] The Bochum guide provides that the school fills in a report on needs and on existing inclusive services, teachers take part in support-plan meetings and effectiveness is reviewed at intervals. ^[4] More on cooperation with parents: Good cooperation between parents and school.

What else you should know

• Applying by the parents: School support workers in everyday school life and Integration assistance under SGB IX. The question of whether benefits under SGB IX or section 35a SGB VIII apply is to be clarified in the individual case.
• Conversations about crises belong in an agreed plan with school, parents and professionals; article for teachers: Pupils with autism in lessons.
• Not covered: qualification requirements, pay, forms of employment and case law. We have not checked the status of legislative changes on child and youth welfare here.

Sources and literature

1. DGKJP, DGPPN et al. Autismus-Spektrum-Störungen im Kindes-, Jugend- und Erwachsenenalter. Teil 2: Therapie. S3-Leitlinie, AWMF-Reg.-Nr. 028-047, Stand Text 02.05.2021 (Empf. 109; Kap. C.10.2). – Guideline (in German); expired on 23 March 2026 (see no. 2)
2. DGKJP. Aktuelle Leitlinien (Eintrag 028-047: „Gültig bis 23.03.2026“). https://www.dgkjp.de/wissen/aktuelle-leitlinien/ – Professional society (website in German)
3. § 112 SGB IX – Leistungen zur Teilhabe an Bildung (www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_9_2018/__112.html). – Statute (German federal law, in German)
4. Stadt Bochum: Leitfaden Schulbegleitung/Integrationshilfe, Januar 2024. – Local authority (website in German)
5. Landratsamt Esslingen: Handreichung Schulbegleitung für Fachkräfte und Schulen (Stand im Dokument nicht gedruckt). – Local authority (website in German)