The papers in this volume deal with the relationship between social and private law. The fundamental question of the relationship between state care and civil rights and liberties is placed in its historical perspective and discussed using highly topical themes ? state “support and demands” under Hartz-IV (governing unemployment benefits), benefits in the reciprocal relationship of state and family, maintenance obligations in the solidary unit of the family as distinct from the solidarity of the social state, and state interventions in families for the protection of children ? including from their parents. By evaluating historical developments, the papers make a contribution to a more profound engagement with current reforms in family and social law.