BZgA - Shaping the future together

Preamble

The Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) is a higher federal authority in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG). We perform prevention and health promotion tasks on behalf of the federation. As a specialist authority for prevention and health promotion, we develop strategies and implement them in campaigns, programmes and projects.
We actively address the requirements of society resulting from demographic and social change, for example, as well as the changing disease landscape. This calls for a forward-looking style of thinking and acting that is geared to health resources and borne by respect and solidarity.

We accept the challenges of the future and work towards more health for people. Our image of an individual is that of someone who learns his whole life long, acts in a self-determined manner and bears responsibility for himself and others. In this context, we take into account that an individual’s social situation influences his material, social and psychological health resources.
The objective is to promote the abilities and the willingness of the individual to behave in a responsible, health-oriented manner, and to encourage appropriate use of the health system.
These guiding principles unite the ethical and moral values of the BZgA, as well as its self-image and the key fields of action and targets. They are intended to serve as a foundation and a guide for our activities, and to promote a culture at the BZgA that is geared to these values.

Health - A valuable asset for every individual and for society

• We view health holistically in its physical, emotional-mental and social dimension.
• We offer health information that is up-to-date, scientifically sound and prepared to suit the respective target groups.
• We work towards everyone having access to health information and offerings.
• We support everyone in taking care of their health, acting in a self-determined manner and bearing responsibility for themselves and others - regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnic and religious background, social status and education.
• We particularly support children and young people, elderly people and people in difficult situations in life.
• We work to achieve healthy working and living conditions.

Health promotion and prevention - A joint task

• We engage in health promotion and prevention as a joint task at the national level, together with the Länder and the municipalities, social insurance providers, independent providers and other partners, as well as international partner organisations.
• We are a specialist authority and contribute our competences to this joint task.
• We contribute to health promotion and prevention acquiring greater significance in society, particularly in the health sector, education and the social sector.

Health promotion and prevention - Professionally competent

• We cooperate nationally and internationally at various levels, work in committees, form networks and coordinate nationwide prevention and health promotion programmes.
• We observe and analyse the development of health trends and issue recommendations.
• We implement population-wide campaigns with measurable targets.
• We develop and apply quality assurance and evaluation methods, and use them to review our measures.
• We offer our cooperation partners tried-and-tested tools and methods for prevention and health promotion, as well as for effectiveness control and quality assurance.
• We offer continuing education programmes and exchanges of experience.
• We cooperate with multipliers and support their work by providing media and materials.

Working successfully - Establishing the prerequisites

• We all contribute to working successfully, serving in our different organisational units.
• We create a positive working atmosphere that is characterised by mutual respect and understanding and that acknowledges the achievements of others.
• We create healthy working conditions for our staff.
• We foster open in-house communication that transcends the boundaries of the hierarchy and the organisational units.
• We promote a culture of acknowledgement and constructive criticism.
• We deal openly with mistakes and criticism, using both as an opportunity to develop and improve.
• Our executive officers encourage creative freedom and strengthen the personal responsibility of their staff.
• Our executive officers have the courage to take decisions and point the way through their actions.
• We provide complete information and reach transparent, comprehensible decisions.
• We encourage our staff by offering continuing education and specialist training appropriate to their duties.
• We exploit the diversity of our competences to fulfil the common task.
• We implement gender mainstreaming.
• We create family-friendly working conditions.

Shaping the future - Accepting challenges

• We act with foresight and react promptly to societal challenges within the bounds of our capabilities.
• We have the courage to be innovative and develop creative solutions.
• We manage our resources responsibly and effectively.
• We identify with our task of promoting people’s health.
• We contribute our professional competence and the willingness to work self-responsibly in our sphere of duty.
• We together shape a living authority, geared to specialist content and societal demands.

Concluding remark

These guiding principles were adopted by the staff of BZgA on 3 April 2006. The aim is for these principles to meet with a high degree of acceptance and prove to be of great relevance for our daily work and practice, thereby becoming living principles.