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.
A COFACE Families Europe member, The Isadora Duncan Foundation organized the 1st Global Symposium on Single-Parent Families, which took place in the city of León.
The European Parliament has adopted a report on the EU Disability Strategy post-2025. The text was adopted on 27 November 2025. It includes a chapter on families.
This year’s annual COFACE Disability platform meeting aimed to bring together COFACE members and external partners to share diverse insights and experiences related to the inclusive transition of care services for persons with disabilities. It was hosted by Unapei in Paris.
It has been a year since the Council of Europe condemned the French state for violating the rights of people with disabilities and their families. COFACE members Unapei and APF France Handicap along with other NGOs are urgently reminding the French government of their obligations to protect people with disabilities and their families.
The end of March 2024 marked a significant event for Fundação LIGA, our Portuguese COFACE Disability member. In fact, representatives of their Early Childhood Intervention Program participated in the inaugural meeting of ELI AASMA. ELI AASMA is the Early Childhood Intervention Association for the municipalities of Alenquer, Arruda dos Vinhos, and Sobral de Monte Agraço and serves as a platform for collaboration and knowledge-sharing among professionals working to support children and families.
On 14 and 15 April, COFACE Families Europe participated in the Social Summit on the Future of Social Europe that took place in the small Belgian village of La Hulpe. The purpose of the high-level conference was to sign an inter-institutional declaration, with the ultimate goal of shaping the future social agenda of the European Union for period of 2024-2029.
Autism Europe, a network of organisations advancing the rights of autistic people and their families became co-chair of the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based support (EEG), with COFACE Families Europe. They took over from the European Disability Forum. The EEG is a coalition advocating to replace institutionalisation with family- and community-based support. It represents children and their families, people with disabilities and their families, homeless people, people experiencing mental health problems, service providers, public authorities, UN organisations.
For months, COFACE Disability Platform, Unapei, and other solidarity and healthcare associations have voiced concerns about the conditions of non-profit establishments and services implementing French local government policies. Alongside Uniopss (National Interfederal Union of Non-Profit Health and Social Organizations), Unapei is launching a petition, "For Dignified Support: Let's Sound the Alarm Together." It urges everyone to take action, including pushing for these topics to be discussed in the social life councils of establishments.
In view of the High-Level event of the Belgian presidency of the EU on the European Pillar of Social Rights taking place in La Hulpe on 15 and 16th April 2024, as well as the upcoming European elections, 16 European organisations call on EU policy makers to enhance the implementation of Pillar principle 18 on the right to long-term care under the next 2024-2029 legislature, starting with the creation of a European Long-Term Care Platform.
