Here you will see news from Europe, from civil society, from research, highlighting emerging trends from local to international level relevant for families of today.
Families are often judged before they are supported. When difficulties arise, the question is rarely what does this family need? but rather what went wrong? Child–family separation is still too often treated as an inevitable solution, when in many cases it is the outcome of poverty, isolation, migration or lack of accessible support.
COFACE Families Europe submitted its response to the European Commission open consultation on enhancing the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities up to 2030. Among our priorities, we call for the adoption of a strong family dimension in the new phase of the strategy through concrete actions; the enhancement of the monitoring and implementation mechanisms for disability policies and legislations that have a family dimension.
The European Network for Binational-Bicultural Couples and Families (ENB) has sent an Open Letter to Members of European Parliament. The letter highlighs urgent and recurring issues, and calls for action.
On 18 November 2025, the French National Assembly voted in favour of creating a new birth leave as part of the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) for 2026. The measure marks an important step forward for families in France and a major advocacy success for UNAF (Union nationale des associations familiales), a member organisation of COFACE Families Europe, which has been calling for this reform for more than ten years.
The Spanish member organisation FAMS (Federación de Asociaciones de Madres Solteras) has published a new study examining the relationship between single-parenthood and gender-based violence, with a specific focus on women-led single-parent families in Spain.
The COFACE Disability Platform for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families has carried out a review of EU policies in the fields of employment and work-life balance, to assess whether they provide for targeted measures in support to working parents with disabilities. We had the pleasure of discussing the results of the review with Kamil Goungor from the European Network for Independent Living.
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.
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.
COFACE Families Europe’s Belgian member organisation Ouders voor Inclusie has launched a new podcast series.
