Opinions
About Opinions

Take a look at our Opinion series, with individual voices from inside and outside COFACE, providing different perspectives and insights on topics relevant for families of today.

Opinions
OPINION: Who cares? Achieving effective measures to support informal family carers

OPINION: Who cares? Achieving effective measures to support informal family carers

It could be a good brain-teaser to ask what is the occupation of the tens of millions of people in Europe today, whose daily work time can span over 24 hours and is not only essential but also life-saving. We could not even say that this type of work is underpaid as it is, in many cases, not paid at all. And although it is not necessarily undervalued, it is clear that this essential work is taken for granted. For COFACE Families Europe, who represents the interests of families across Europe, the answer to this brainteaser is evident.

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#Toys&DiversityOpinions
a remote-control wheelchair toy
OPINION: How inclusive toys can help to represent and raise awareness of disabilities

OPINION: How inclusive toys can help to represent and raise awareness of disabilities

Around one in 10 children and young people worldwide have a disability, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Children with disabilities are 51% more likely to feel unhappy and 41% more likely to feel discriminated against than children without disabilities. We believe that representing all children through inclusive toys is hugely powerful.

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NewsOpinions
OPINION: Struggling to balance life and work? Time policies might be the solution

OPINION: Struggling to balance life and work? Time policies might be the solution

We usually take time for granted, but the way we use our time is shaped by our individual and social circumstances and can lead to inequalities, inefficiencies, and diminished well-being of our society. Public and private initiatives that are put forward in order to address such issues are known as time policies.

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#Toys&DiversityOpinions
OPINION: Transforming marketing and advertising of toys through positive portrayals of children in all their diversity

OPINION: Transforming marketing and advertising of toys through positive portrayals of children in all their diversity

The toys children play with have a powerful impact on the way they perceive the world.  Presenting positive portrayals of children in all their diversity is crucial: toy companies should take a transformative approach to ensure their toys and associating marketing are diverse.

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#BeTheSHIFTOpinions
Support to children with disabilities
OPINION: Support to children with disabilities and their carers should start as early as possible

OPINION: Support to children with disabilities and their carers should start as early as possible

The first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development of the body, brain, and communication. They lay the foundation for cognitive functioning; behavioral, social, and self-regulatory capacities; and physical health. EASPD – the European Association of Service Providers for persons with Disabilities – is strongly committed to developing quality ECI systems across Europe based on the individual needs of the children, families, and carers.

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Opinions
OPINION: Back-to-School season is not for every child – let’s push for inclusive classrooms

OPINION: Back-to-School season is not for every child – let’s push for inclusive classrooms

For the third time, Unapei and its partners have launched their campaign “#NoSchoolForMe” to denounce the protracted situations of exclusion lived by children with disabilities. As pupils and students find their way back to school, the UN Committee on the Rights of...

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