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.
In this event opened by European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, COFACE Families Europe brought the perspective of families to the discussion, namely in a panel on Working together to Support the Well-being of Teens Online.
An article published in the international journal of research and debate “Families, Relationships and Societies” explores how an international network on transnational families, Transnational Family
Dynamics in Europe (TraFaDy) can try to help deepen knowledge and joint action among different groups of stakeholders such as non-governmental organisations and researchers.
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.
For the past 7 years, Bulgarian COFACE member Tulip Foundation has been running its Sure Start programme. As part of this initiative, the foundation has funded and distributed several book series developed with the aim of preventing child sexual abuse by providing age-appropriate sexual health education for children at different ages with the involvement of their parents and/or trusted adults. Special attention is also paid to the risks online.
On the 4th of June, COFACE-Families Europe held a financial inclusion meeting to discuss key priorities in financial inclusion at the European level, learn about political developments and the “Reset Finance” campaign from Finance Watch, and share good practices through the work of COFACE’s Spanish member Isadora Duncan. The event gathered members and attendees from across Europe to address the pressing issues faced by families in Europe related to economics and finance.
The European Commission has released a new toolkit to help policymakers make the best use of EU funding to invest in social housing and accompanying services. This initiative addresses the urgent need for affordable and decent housing, which is crucial for social inclusion and enables greater participation in education and the labour market.
Following the call on 8th April 2024 for a European Long-Term Care Platform, 18 organisations signed a joint statement urging national governments and the European Commission to ensure open and transparent reporting mechanisms for the European Care Strategy, for its effective monitoring and implementation.
Belgian COFACE member, Ligue des familles, recently published its family barometer report which provides a wealth of information on the state and evolution of families in Belgium. The barometer is published every two years, giving families a crucial chance to have their voices heard. The 2024 edition reveals the scale of some of the difficulties faced by families, as well as some problems identified as early as 2015 that remain persistent.
Since 2017, the City of Paris has implemented a digital inclusion strategy with numerous partners, aiming to use digital technology as a lever for social integration. In 2024, COFACE member Unaf participated in the launch of the week-long event dedicated to digital parenting titled "My Child and Screens" and brought its 20 years of field experience and expertise to the discussions
