This Common Reference Framework for safe an inclusive activities is intended to provide a structured set of principles, standards, guidelines, and processes that provide a shared understanding and consistent approach for achieving goals, solving problems, or managing activities across the organisation. It acts as a blueprint or foundation for how COFACE operates in all its activities and how it works with key external organisations.
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
European Parliament outlines priorities for the next phase of the EU Disability Rights Strategy
The European Parliament has set out its priorities for the EU Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030, following a debate and a vote on a related own-initiative report.
European Care Alliance kicks off 2026
The European Care Alliance is a group of 20+ civil society organisations and social economy organisations representing and supporting persons with disabilities, persons in need of care, and their families, service providers in the long-term care sector, health and social partners. It was set up in January 2024 to support implementation of the European Care Strategy.
Belgian member organisation launches podcast series
COFACE Families Europe’s Belgian member organisation Ouders voor Inclusie has launched a new podcast series.
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
COFACE is hosting an online working group meeting on work-life balance with members and partners to discuss key topics such as adequately paid leaves, take up of leaves by men and the childcare gap.
European conference on inclusive labour markets
European conference on inclusive labour markets
COFACE is partner in the Horizon Europe research project "PATHS2INCLUDE". In this framework, we are organising the project final conference in Brussels, Belgium on 3 February 2026. We aim to make this conference a key tool for dissemination and an incubator for new pa...
Webinar. Empowering rural women, strengthening families: Community-based solutions in practice
Webinar. Empowering rural women, strengthening families: Community-based solutions in practice
In the run-up to the UN International day of women’s rights (8th March), this webinar will focus on rural women, families, and community-based good practices, and with speakers from the Union of Hungarian Women Association (UHW). Registrations will open soon!