Welcome to
Assistenz Kollektiv Köln e.V.
We are the
Assistenz Kollektiv Köln e.V.
Who are we?
We are the Assistenz Kollektiv Köln e.V., a collective that offers personal assistance and comprehensive advice on all aspects of self-determined living with disabilities. In our community, we are passionate about improving working conditions and overcoming barriers and discrimination. Our motto: Collectivist, solidary, good!
How do we help assistance recipients?
As the person receiving assistance, you decide how much help you want from us. You are in control of your life – we support you in this. Our basic conviction is to give you the greatest possible freedom through personal assistance and our support.
We offer you complete support and advice in all areas of personal assistance. With us, you are not left on your own and at the same time have maximum freedom. You can get peer-to-peer advice at any time from a team coordinator who has received assistance herself for many years.
We advise you on topics such as:
- What could life with personal assistance look like?
- How is an application submitted?
- Who finances the whole thing? Who do I have to address my application to?
- How do I find suitable assistants?
- How do I organize my life with assistance?
Our services include:
- 24-hour assistance and short-term assistance (e.g. 12 hours or 8 hours a day)
- A permanently assigned team coordinator who accompanies no more than three teams and therefore always has enough time for your concerns
- A 24-hour emergency hotline and a 24-hour replacement team for seamless care
- Co-determination in our non-profit association, in which all members have equal voting rights
Manage your team of assistants according to your wishes and needs:
- in communication within your assistance team
- in the search for sickness cover
- in the creation of duty rosters
Manage your team of assistants according to your wishes and needs:
- You decide who you want in your team. It’s your team.
- You decide how we should support you in your search
- You decide which conversations we should take part in
- You can manage your team yourself – we provide support wherever you need it.
What do we offer assistants?
If you would like to become an assistant or are already one, we offer you a fair and supportive working environment. Our collective was founded by people who are themselves assistance users, assistants or team coordinators. We are convinced that no company owner should enrich themselves with the money for personal assistance.
We are committed to industrial action in order to create the best possible working conditions for our employees and are therefore in constant negotiations with the cost bearers. The financial resources received are distributed fairly among the employees collectively.
That’s why we have:
- An open-ended employment contract with a four-month probationary period
- 14€ hourly wage and tax-free night and public holiday bonuses
- This means that if you work 24 hours a day, you will receive €336 gross plus a €43.40 tax-free night bonus
- 30 days vacation
- Special payments for short-term sickness cover
- Individual training and fixed contact persons
- Monthly team meetings for co-determination and flexible working time models
- Employment with a team of assistants with a strong team bond
- No obligation to stand-in or on-call duties
- Supervision and annual team events
Additional services:
- Company pension scheme that we subsidize financially
- Subsidization of the Germany ticket with 25€
- Supplementary health insurance
- Urban Sports Membership
- Job wheel
VERY IMPORTANT:
You can join us voluntarily and free of charge at any time and have a say in our offers, salaries and guidelines.
Team
Team coordination
We don’t have an executive floor. Regardless of whether you are an assistant, assistant manager, team coordinator or simply a collectivist – we all work as equals. If you would like to contact us, we would like to give you a face to the voices that will answer you.
Advisory service
We offer peer-to-peer advice. You will reach a team coordinator who has been using personal assistance for many years.
We can help you with questions about:
- Living with assistance: Find out what everyday life with personal assistance can look like.
- Application: Step-by-step guide to applying for assistance.
- Funding: Information on funding options and application offices.
- Finding assistants: Tips for finding and selecting suitable assistants.
- Organization: Support in organizing your everyday life with assistance.
What is personal assistance?
Personal assistance is individual support that enables people with disabilities to lead a self-determined and independent life.
It enables people with disabilities to realize their individual wishes and needs.
It is particularly important that the people concerned have control over their assistance. They decide for themselves who provides support and when and how it is provided. This enables those affected to break out of the segregating system, such as inpatient facilities and care homes.
Personal assistance promotes autonomy, self-confidence and quality of life, and makes a significant contribution to inclusion and equality in society.
Personal assistance includes support services
in various
areas such as
- Household
- Body care
- Mobility
- Communication
- Leisure activities
What is a personal budget?
The personal budget is financial support for people with disabilities that enables them to organize necessary assistance such as assistance services in a self-determined manner.
It promotes independent living and enables people to pursue a profession and participate in individual leisure activities.
Assistance recipients can choose whether they want to receive the money as a personal budget or as a benefit in kind, whereby in the first case they can take over the administration themselves or have it handled by service providers. If the benefit in kind is chosen, the assistance is always handled by a service provider.
Who is the benefactor?
Who pays the costs depends on the place of residence and the cause of the impairment. Within NRW, this is usually the supra-regional social welfare office, the Landschaftsverband Rheinland (LVR) or the Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL). Outside NRW, the competent social welfare office of the place of residence is responsible.
We will be happy to advise you on any questions you may have about applying for assistance.
When am I entitled and to what amount?
First of all, it is important to be clear about how much assistance you need. Having a clear idea of how much assistance you need can increase your chances of getting approval.
There are many criteria for calculating the entitlement, as each decision is examined individually.
To determine your entitlement to assistance, we recommend a consultation with us or an independent advice center.
Our mission
Networking and evaluation
As a non-profit collective, we don’t just want to create an alternative to for-profit personal assistance services. We firmly believe that all critical infrastructure services do not belong in the hands of for-profit companies. Only then can we create a care landscape that aims to ensure the highest quality of care and fair working conditions for employees. That is why we are networking with other non-profit providers and private initiatives to evaluate our joint work and create better alternatives for those affected.
Participation in local politics
We are part of the Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband and the Inklusionsrat Hürth. Our involvement in local associations and societies enables us to make our vision a reality in our immediate surroundings and set good examples for better development of personal assistance and the situation of those affected.
Raising awareness in society
- People with disabilities are still underrepresented, marginalized and discriminated against in our society.
- Inclusive systems such as personal assistance are still too little known, even among care insurance companies, social welfare providers and even the responsible political bodies.
- Accessibility is still dismissed as a luxury.
We try to raise awareness of the issue with information campaigns, activities, events and projects and to focus on people.
Projects
As a non-profit association, we also act as a sponsor for our members. Are you interested in implementing something in line with our statutes, such as an accessible event, an inclusive theater or circus group, an information campaign or would you like to make your local kiosk accessible? Talk to us and we will connect you with other collectivistas and try to make it happen. Here is a small selection of the projects we have already implemented or are currently working on:
Consulting portal
In 2023 and 2024, the Kämpgen Foundation and the Software AG Foundation redesigned our website and made it accessible, as well as implementing an online video advice portal on the topics of personal assistance, living with assistance, personal budget and benefits in kind – the first of its kind! Many thanks to our sponsors for their support.
Accessibility
One topic that is always close to our hearts is accessibility. That’s why we are increasingly networking with like-minded people to make this possible and support others in doing so. In 2024, we have been invited to provide a crew for the MOYN festival near Bremen to take care of the festival’s accessibility.
Development of personal assistance
We are working to strengthen the job profile of assistants and their working conditions and to create new offers for assistants. The establishment of a company health and satisfaction management system, training systems and open communication spaces are currently being implemented.
Vision
Foundation and vision
We founded the Assistenz Kollektiv Köln e.V. association on December 9, 2020 in Hürth, consisting of a total of eleven people with physical disabilities and people with experience in the field of personal assistance.
Our goals
We want social and health policy to be shaped by those who are affected by it. We believe that the personal budget should be there for personal assistance – not to enrich company shareholders. We founded the collective to ensure that no one enriches themselves with the money that the assistance recipients are entitled to, but that the assistance staff receive the best possible remuneration and the assistance recipients the best possible assistance. Furthermore, our vision is to make personal assistance better known in society as a long-demanded, genuine inclusion measure and to make the voices of those affected heard in politics.
Collective: organization and structure
Community and decisions
Freedom from hierarchy and the collective idea are very important to us. Every member should have the opportunity to help shape the association. There is no executive floor, and every member can have a say in salaries, assert interests and launch projects. Every member is regularly invited to discuss processes and projects collectively and make decisions together.
Board of Directors and General Meeting
Each member of the collective has the same voting rights. The vote of the Executive Board also carries no more weight than any other vote. The Executive Board is bound by the instructions of the members and must be elected. This ensures that all matters relating to the association are decided democratically. For all decisions, with the exception of amendments to the Articles of Association, 70% of the members entitled to vote are required. An amendment to the articles of association requires 90% of the votes.
Transparency
Members can only participate in joint decision-making if they also have access to information. We try to disclose all information that can be shared under data protection law to all members. Of course, we treat the data of assistance participants and personnel data sensitively. We make everything that we can share transparently accessible to all members through:
- Our weekly online members’ meeting, which makes decisions for the collective
- Various open chats and organizational groups
- A shared cloud for all members
- The disclosure of all finances
Non-profit status
Unfortunately, there is no legal entity for collectivist organizations in Germany. We therefore deliberately decided against a GmbH or UG and founded a non-profit association. This enables us to realize our community concept. Legally, no one is allowed to enrich themselves from the profits. All funds must be distributed in the interests of the members or invested in joint projects.
Donation account
Would you like to support us?
As a non-profit collective, our funds are limited. We therefore welcome donations that help us to implement projects that would otherwise not be possible. For example, we can use them to provide our assistance recipients with a barrier-free car or emergency equipment.
Donations by bank transfer
- Recipient: Assistenz Kollektiv Köln e.V.
- IBAN: DE60 3705 0299 0137 2953 64
- BIC: COKSDE33XXX
Donate via PayPal
Please contact us and we will issue you with a donation receipt.
