We live the vision of a new way of working: this includes special offers for working mothers such as childcare, but also support offers in the area of caring for relatives. We take responsibility, because reconciling work and family life is just as much a part of the guidelines of our University of applied sciences as gender equality and the promotion of diversity.

Maternity protection is a special protection for workers who are pregnant or breastfeeding a child. Both the mothers and the children are protected, both before the birth and afterwards. Maternity protection includes, among other things:

• protection of health in the workplace,
• special protection against dismissal,
• a ban on employment in the weeks before and after the birth, and
• the safeguarding of income during the employment ban

HSWT wants to make it as easy as possible for parents to return to work. The personnel officers are open to family planning and find solutions together. We also recommend the guide "So sag ich's meinen Vorgesetzten" (How to tell your superiors ) from the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to our staff. This informs employees about their options and rights in family planning. It contains tips for the staff meeting, sample solutions and an overview of deadlines and dates.

Our first aid rooms are available to pregnant women or mothers for breaks and work interruptions.

List of first aid rooms

• Weihenstephan Campus
• Campus Triesdorf

There are various childcare options at the HSWT campuses, as well as an emergency childcare arrangement that all staff are entitled to use under certain circumstances.

Care work, i.e. activities of caring, nurturing and looking after oneself, is predominantly performed by women and is not evenly distributed in society. Our support services try to relieve staff of the HSWT in this complex field of tension.

Caring relatives have the option of taking up to ten working days off work in order to organise needs-based care in an acute care situation or to ensure nursing care during this time.

A wage replacement benefit - the care support allowance - can be applied for this time off. The application for care support allowance must be submitted to the care insurance fund or the private insurance company of the person in need of care - depending on whether the person in need of care has statutory or private insurance. The medical certificate must also be attached to the application.

Employees are obliged to inform the employer immediately of their inability to work and the expected duration of this inability. There is no specific form of notification.

A care degree does not need to have been determined for the person to be prevented from working for a short period of time, but there must be a need for care that corresponds at least to care degree 1. If the person to be cared for is therefore limited in his or her independence, care support allowance can be applied for.

With care leave, employees can take up to six months off work, either completely or partially, if they are caring for a close relative in need of care in their home environment. You must notify your employer in writing of the care leave at least ten working days before it begins.

• Care leave can be taken for close relatives in need of care with at least care degree 1 if the care takes place in a domestic environment. During this time, you can apply for an interest-free loan from the Federal Office for Family Affairs and Civil Society.
• For the care of minor close relatives in need of care, there is the possibility of a leave of absence without the care having to take place at home.
• You can take a full or partial leave of absence of up to three months to accompany a close relative in need of care in the final phase of life.

With family care leave, employees can take up to 24 months partial leave from work if they care for a close relative in need of care in a domestic environment.

• Family care leave can be taken for close relatives in need of care with at least care degree 1 if the care takes place in a domestic environment and the working time is at least 15 hours per week. The minimum working time of 15 hours per week in the family care leave is intended to prevent employees from giving up their job completely because of care.
• An interest-free loan from the Federal Office for Family and Civil Society Tasks (BAFzA) can also be applied for here to reduce the loss of wages during family care leave.
• The legal entitlement also applies to the care outside the home of a close relative who is a minor in need of care. The exemption requires a need for care with at least care degree 1; a serious illness alone does not lead to an entitlement to exemption.