New provisions in the Maternity Protection Act for students

On January 1, 2018, the revised and fully amended Maternity Protection Act (Mutterschutzgesetz, MuSchG) came into effect. Students and school pupils are now covered by the Maternity Protection Act if the educational institute lays down binding rules for the time, place and form of lessons, lectures, seminars or the like or if the students are carrying out an internship or practical course as a compulsory part of their school education or university degree program.

For expectant mothers at FAU, this means:

The first point of contact in the event of a pregnancy is the Family Service. The Family Service provides confidential and comprehensive advice about balancing pregnancy and studying for a degree.
As well as contacting the Family Service for advice, please also contact Susanne Kramarenkoff from IBZ: ibz-mutterschutz@fau.de. According to the amended Maternity Protection Act, FAU is obliged to report your pregnancy to the Supervisory Authority for Occupational Safety (Gewerbeaufsichtsamt). This ensures that you are covered by maternity protection regulations, like members of staff employed at FAU who are pregnant. Ms. Kramarenkoff will advise you on what to do next, fill in the form with you and give you advice based on your current schedule. The form required to notify the Supervisory Authority for Occupational Safety of pregnancy is available here.
If your degree program is classed in accordance with the general risk assessment of the university as entailing foreseeable risks for expectant mothers exceeding the normal risks of everyday life, the Family Service will advise you to consult your subject advisor as well. He or she is familiar with the structure of your degree program and can give an indication of which lectures or seminars you can safely attend and which practical courses (for example those involving the use of hazardous substances) it would be better to postpone until a later date.
Please always check before attending any practical courses or commencing an internal or external internship whether they are classed as free from risk in accordance with the Maternity Protection Act.
The Student Advice and Career Service (IBZ) at FAU is naturally also available to give you advice on how best to tailor your studies.
A list of all subjects which can be studied at FAU and the results of the general risk assessment will shortly be available.
Contacts for advice at the individual faculties