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
Building a stronger framework for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families for the next five years
The 2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities takes place at a pivotal moment for the European Union. As a new College of Commissioners is forming, the EU is concluding the first phase of its European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2021–2030). This transition offers an opportunity to set new priorities and intensify efforts towards inclusion, equity, and support for persons with disabilities and their families.
Sweden expands parental leave to grandparents and friends
In Sweden, new parental leave has been extended to grandparents and friends. New rules now allow parents to transfer up to 45 days of their paid leave to someone who isn’t the child’s legal guardian - such as a relative or a friend - as long as the person is insured for parental allowance.
OPINION – Empowering Parenthood: How the Work-Life Balance Directive reshapes parental Leave in Poland
On 23rd of March 2023, the President of Poland signed the bill implementing the work-life balance directive in Poland and the new regulation came into force on 26th of April 2023. This marks, two years of advocacy work led by Share the Care foundation coming to an end.
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 working group on work-life balance
COFACE working group on work-life balance
The aim of this working group is to bring together COFACE members working on work-life balance matters and disability rights, to kick-start a discussion on the work-life balance of parents and carers with disabilities. We will discuss relevant EU legislation, and collec...
EU Policy Webinar on the implementation of the European Care Strategy
EU Policy Webinar on the implementation of the European Care Strategy
This webinar will bring together speakers from the EU institutions, and participants from different fields and backgrounds in order to discuss tools for monitoring and evaluation of the European Care Strategy implementation; and to share knowledge from national and EU l...