Parents face a wide range of stresses in everyday family life. If their health suffers as a result, treatment at a specialist facility can help.
Under certain conditions, mothers or fathers are entitled to a mother-and-child or father-and-child programme through their health insurance fund. This programme can be carried out as a preventative measure – that is, to improve health – or as a medical rehabilitation programme to restore health.
A mother- or father-and-child programme is an inpatient treatment programme for mothers or fathers at a facility run by the Müttergenesungswerk or a similar organisation. It focuses on the particular stresses faced by mothers or fathers and is specialised for this target group. It usually lasts three weeks and can be applied for every four years.
In principle, children up to the age of twelve can take part in the mother-and-child or father-and-child programme. Children may be accompanying children (without their own treatment) or children receiving therapy (with their own treatment). It is, of course, also possible for you to attend the programme without your children.
During the stay, parents do not need to apply for leave from their employer, as the authorisation is treated in the same way as a certificate of incapacity for work.
Please note: If you have private health insurance, the extent of the reimbursement depends on the terms of your personal insurance policy. In this case, please check with your private health insurer.
Your statutory health insurance fund, your private health insurance provider or your benefits office
You must apply for the mother-and-child or father-and-child scheme, together with the necessary documents, at your local authority:
You usually have six months to start the programme. The selection of a suitable health resort is primarily based on medical indications and is carried out by your health insurance provider. As a patient, you have a say in the choice of facility through your right to express a preference and make a choice.
For reimbursement of the costs of a mother-and-child or father-and-child programme, it is important that approval from the health insurance fund is obtained before the programme begins.
The health insurance fund must decide on your application promptly, usually within three weeks. If an opinion is sought from the Medical Service, this period is extended to five weeks.
You can obtain information on preventive care and rehabilitation measures, as well as other benefits (such as travel expenses and domestic help), from your health insurance provider, as well as from the advice and referral services run by welfare organisations and the Müttergenesungswerk.
If you have private health insurance, the extent of the reimbursement depends on the terms of your personal insurance policy. In this case, please check with your private health insurer.
Sozialgesetzbuch Fünftes Buch (SGB V) - Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung:
Machine generated, based on the German release by: Sozialministerium Baden-Württemberg, 28.05.2026