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.
As part of the European Semester, the Joint Employment Report 2025 emphasises that participation in ECEC under three is improving but at a very low pace, calling for renewed efforts in line with the European Child Guarantee, the European Care Strategy and the Council Recommendation on ECEC.
All across Europe, COFACE members continuously work to contribute to positive outcomes for diverse types of families in a changing society, including single-parent households. Organisations such as La Ligue des Familles and Single Parents Foundation have both recently and respectively put a spotlight on concrete ways to support and empower single parents in Europe from Belgium to Hungary.
In November 2024, COFACE member organisation APF France launched its second season of the short TV programme "Tous en scène pour le Handicap" (All on Stage for Disability)”. After the success of its first season in 2023, 10 new artists and public figures have taken the stage to humorously share real-life stories experienced by members of APF France.
The Council of the European Union will be headed by Belgium for the first six months of 2024 (1st of January to the 30th of June), a special year for the institution because next June, the citizens of the 27 Member States (nearly 200 million voters in the last elections in 2019) will elect the 720 new Members of the European Parliament.
Explore the latest brochure developed by Spanish COFACE member FIAPAS in partnership with the Commission for the Early Detection of Hearing Loss (CODEPEH). Unveiling a comprehensive understanding, the brochure addresses this hearing disorder detected after birth, encompassing three distinct types: progressive, late-onset, and acquired.
There are currently 100 million persons with disabilities in the European Union, representing 15% of the total population. Data shows that persons with disabilities more likely experience poverty or social exclusion than persons without disabilities (in 2021, 29.7% vs 18.8%). This study brings together available knowledge that recent crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing energy crisis due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, together with rising inflation affect persons with disabilities and their families disproportionately.
The Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program equips children with effective prevention strategies to reduce their vulnerability and exposure to various forms of violence. As a Regional Training Center in Croatia, our COFACE member, the 'Step by Step' Parents' Association, trains future CAP helpers in delivering the program.
At a time when unemployment among individuals with disabilities seems to be somewhat better acknowledged by French public authorities due to increased focus on employment access, neglecting to secure career paths amounts to merely shifting the problem. Faced with these observations, COFACE member, APF Handicap, provides a thorough analysis in a recently published research which highlights measures and solutions to prevent the risk of professional disintegration.
On the morrow of the UN International day for the Rights of Children, the European Parliament adopted an important text for children and their families. The Own Initiative report on Reducing inequalities and promoting social inclusion in times of crisis for children and their families received 386 votes in favours for 87 against and 141 abstention.
