Take a look at our 2023 journey to build a strong social and inclusive Europe
COFACE Core Values
COFACE – FAMILIES EUROPE is a network promoting the well-being, health and security of families and their members in a changing society. And serves as a trusted entity for family mainstreaming and for the voice/needs of families in the EU and beyond.
COFACE Families Europe is rooted in a set of six core values:
COFACE key activities
We advocate for families of all types without discrimination, bringing their voice to the table of European Union decision-making, ensuring that EU policies and legislation work in the general interest.
Furthermore, we support transnational exchanges between COFACE members (civil society organisations representing and supporting families) in the form of expert meetings, trainings, campaigns, conferences, webinars and more.
COFACE members are regularly updated and partners via the Families Corner newsletter, and interact with our social media communities.
Act NOW for families of today
COFACE Families Europe together with its members is very active in addressing the social challenges faced by families of today and advocating for policies to support their well-being. Here are ten specific actions (also available in Easy-to-Read language) which we would like to see integrated in the programme of the European Union from 2024 to 2029.
HIGHLIGHTED COFACE NEWS
Latest articles
Design Thinking for inclusive Education: connecting families and educators
The “Design Thinking for Inclusive Education: Connecting Families and Educators” workshop, held during LLLWeek, built on the momentum from the Dublin conference, where The Lifelong Learning Platform, The European Association for the Education of Adults and COFACE Families Europe united to address gaps in EU education and training policies.
Gezinsbond Family Barometer reveals that parents in Flanders want longer maternity leave
The latest Family Barometer by COFACE member Gezinsbond focuses on care leave and the results reveal that families in Flanders with children between 0 and 18 years are seeking more time to care for their children. The findings particularly highlight that over two-thirds of parents want longer maternity leave.
COFACE launches its revised Digitalisation Principles: Creating a better Internet and web for children and their families
On this Safer Internet Day, COFACE Families Europe launches its revised Digitalisation Principles and calls on the European Union for a strong implementation and enforcement of EU digital policies and laws, with these 14 principles in mind. COFACE Families Europe aims to ensure that digitalisation and new technological developments support all families and respect the rights of all children.
Explore more of COFACE work
COFACE develops different types of publications
including position papers, studies based on feedback from families, briefs on family and EU policies, meeting reports.
Our latest publications include a list of economic principles to help build an economy that cares.
You and the EU
The European Union develops different actions and laws to ensure family and child well-being.
And we at COFACE try to shape these actions based on our core values. These actions include:
- key guidelines and laws for national governments to strengthen their social and family policies;
- different long-term action plans to support governments;
- funding mechanisms to boost NGOs and families.
European Family Lab
Family supports & resilience in challenging times
Family supports are an essential part of making social rights a reality, and civil society has grown over decades to create a wide range of supports to families and children to ensure health and well-being.
Now, more than ever, it is important to connect professionals in real time through transnational exchanges in order to tackle the social impacts of different transitions (digital, green, energy, health) on families and children.
We believe the European Family Lab is the place to connect them, serving as an innovation incubator for ideas and cross-country knowledge transfer to help family professionals deliver the best possible supports for Europeans. We are building the Lab virtual room by virtual room, with a newly launched Education&Training programme for upskilling of professionals and families: the L.I.N.K. Programme.
COMING UP with COFACE
Events
COFACE online exchange on blended families of today
COFACE online exchange on blended families of today
This exchange will be organised for COFACE members to take stock of challenges for blended families. Blended families, also known as stepfamilies or recomposed families, are increasingly common across Europe due to rising rates of divorce, remarriage, and cohabitation.
COFACE working group on safer internet
COFACE working group on safer internet
The aim of this working group meeting will be to find intersections between family, education and digital policies, to address key digital challenges for families of today, and to build stronger partnerships between family organisations, Safer Internet Centres and other...
COFACE working group on financial inclusion
COFACE working group on financial inclusion
The objective of this working group is to bring together COFACE members and partners working on financial inclusion, to discuss EU developments and exchange information on key national trends.