COFACE Families Europe

Loving long-distance
2021-03-16 09:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | Online
Date
Tuesday 16th March 2021, 9.30-11.00 CET
Speaker
By Heli Vaaranen, Ph.D.in social sciences, psychotherapist, divorce mediator. Vaestoliitto, Finland
Working language
English
Description
Long-distance relationships have been growing in numbers for the past decades. Your loved one may not live in the same district, city or even country as you. What to do then? Research tells us that long-distance couples are great communicators, because they have to be. At the same time, they suffer from seeing each other too seldom, always waiting for and missing the other. They lack closeness and ordinary life as a couple, whilst living a more romantic life than the average couple – every time they meet it may be like a romantic dream. Couples suffer also from arguing. There are difficult things to solve, for example where to live once we move in together? Long distance couples suffer also from the major difficulty of fitting together two very different lives, and from the disappointment that after all, the romantic partner is not what you expected.
The Family Federation of Finland has gathered together useful research, free of charge on-line therapy sessions and information services, such as podcasts, about the challenges of long distance relationships. Unfortunately, this material exists so far only in Finnish. This webinar includes a description of these services and our experiences with long distance couples’ reality in the times of the pandemic, as well as an overlook into the long distance couple relationships today.
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More information about the other webinars in the Breakfast Byte series.
Missed it? You can watch the talks of the 2021 Breakfast bytes on our COFACE TV.

Policy & advocacy session on gender inequalities in care and pay in the EU
2021-03-09 | Online
International Women’s Day 2021
This Policy and Advocacy session on gender inequalities in care and pay on 9th March organised by COFACE Families Europe came in a crucial moment of social developments within the EU. The Study Session immediately followed the International Women’s Day (8th March), came after a year of the adoption of the European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy (GES), a few months after the EPSCO Council conclusions adopted under the German Presidency of the EU with guidelines aiming at closing the care gap and the European Parliament voted its own report on the GES, and finally in the middle of the transposition of the EU Work-life balance directive adopted in 2019.
Different reports have stated that during the pandemic of Covid-19 the gender care gap is on the increase, with women taking up a disproportionate share of additional household and caring tasks, despite the fact that many men have been teleworking as well.
The study session therefore gathered different stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, civil organisations) to analyse how to tackle different gender gaps (care and pay), exchange good practices and challenges, and how to build bridges within the different stakeholders involved.
Our family of Emperor Penguins accompanied us throughout this Study Session. The Emperor Penguin is a perfect example that nature provides us of gender equality and co-responsibility. The Emperor Penguin tackles too the stereotypical vision of “traditional” and old-fashioned distributions of roles, where women are caregivers and men are the breadwinners, just as COFACE Families Europe has always been promoting.

PROGRAMME
9th March 2021, from 9.15-11.15 CET online
9.00-9.15 Virtual coffee
09.15-9.30 Welcome
Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE Families Europe (speech)
9.30-10.00 Gender inequalities in care and its consequences on the labour market: state of play (full presentation)

Speaker: Blandine Mollard, Researcher, European Institute for Gender Equality.
10.00-10.20 German Presidency Council Conclusions on tackling the gender pay gap: Valuation and Distribution of Paid Work and Unpaid Care Work (full presentation)

Speaker: Thomas Fischer, Head of the Labour Market Unit in the Gender Equality Directorate of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany
10.20-11.00 Exchange with key stakeholders
Taking the two keynote presentations as a starting point, we will focus on the following key questions for discussion (with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in mind):

What are the main reasons for the predominant sharing patterns and the links between the gender care gap and the gender pay gap?
Why is a more equal sharing of care responsibilities important, and what are key recommendations for closing the gender care gap?
How to make real a greater involvement of men in divisions of work and care at home?
How to use the research to build policies and campaigns?

11.00-11.15 Conclusions and next steps
Pascual Martinez, COFACE Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer

Participants:
COFACE family organisations, EU Work-life balance alliance, Violence against women coalition, EU and national policy-makers, researchers.
Working language:
English
Objectives of the session
-Connect research, policy and practice of organisations working on gender equality from different perspectives.
-Consider ways to strengthen advocacy and policy to close the gender care gap.
Programme here
Key findings here

2021 Communication Seminar: Diverse representation
2021-02-25 | Online
Diverse representation in Communication
– COFACE EXPERT SEMINAR – co-hosted by COFACE and UNAF Spain
Background
The images and photos of people in any communication campaign or media affects how people think about the world, however photos barely represent the whole range of diversity in society. We don’t want this limit us and continue to ensure an adequate representation of society in our in our member’s outputs. In order to support the campaigns of COFACE and its national members, we would like to collect photos representing families in all their diversity with different colours, abilities and family types.
Societal diversity should not only be transmitted through visual materials but also through language as language similarly forms our image of society. With our members we would like to reflect on the barriers of languages as well as discuss existing and new strategies. Together with an external trainer, we will look at how to best craft message and create storytelling keeping the focus of diverse representation in mind.
Objectives of the webinar

Exchanges on different national campaigns, with a focus on Spain, to encourage learning between COFACE members on national campaigning
Discussion on coordinated European campaigns and projects, taking diversity (family, ethnic, disability) as a starting point, bringing members together around common projects.
Train experts in crafting messages and storytelling

Language of the meeting
English
Status
For COFACE and UNAF members only.
Programme

Morning: Virtual study visit of UNAF Spain
1.Introduction to UNAF: vision, goals, actions
UNAF is a pioneering NGO in Spain working to improve the rights and wellbeing of diverse families. During our more than 30 years of experience, we have promoted the visibility and rights of all types of families in Spain.
Click here for the Presentation.
2.UNAF Media education on female genital mutilation
Communication is key to achieve our goals, but it is also a very important tool that NGOs have to change people’s perceptions and attitudes. UNAF runs a campaign aimed at media professionals, with the objective to show them how to use language and images when they refer to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), in order to empower women survivors, and not stigmatize them or other migrants. Click here for the Presentation.
3.Diverse forms of communication: spotlight on sign language
Deaf people are a diverse collective, and CNSE took us through how they address this in all their communications, with practical examples of campaigns and activities, including some they carried out during the pandemic. Click here for Presentation 1 and Click here for Presentation 2.
Afternoon: Focus on Europe
Working together for more diverse representation in communications
Introduction to the idea of building an online bank of stock images to be used in communication tools (newsletter, webpages, social media, videos, etc) which represent the full diversity of society, as well as discussing diverse language is messaging and storytelling. Click here for the Presentation.

The Flemish SafeOnline Initiative: How to deal with digital media in your family
2021-02-16 09:30 - 11:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Online
Date
Tuesday 16th February 2021, 9.30-11.00 CET
Speakers
Michael Op de Beeck (educational scientist) and Astrid Van Roy (education scientist), Gezinsbond, Belgium
Working language
English
Description
The Flemish SafeOnline Initiative (a joint initiative of Gezinsbond + Child Focus) organises trainings for parents, focusing on media-education. The training offer consists of five different modules regarding five topics: ‘Social media’, ‘Gaming’, ‘Internet and privacy’, ‘Cyberbullying’ and ‘Online relationships and sexuality’. In each programme, testimonials from youths, parents and experts are the central point. Via a quiz and a game of propositions, the participants are invited to think along and share experiences. Through all of that, they receive a lot of concrete, educational tips. With 200 trainings per year, the programme is very successful. Since 2020, an Erasmus Plus project is aimed at developing similar training sessions several European counties.
Flemish website with compete training modules: www.veiligonline.be
Project website about the Erasmus Plus project: https://europeansafeonline.eu (available in different languages)
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More here about the other webinars in the Breakfast Byte series.
Missed it? You can watch the talks of the 2021 Breakfast bytes on our COFACE TV.

Building an online platform to engage with teenage parents: challenges and successes
2021-01-19 09:30 - 11:00 (Europe/Helsinki) | Online
Date
Tuesday 19th January 2021, 9.30-11.00 CET
Speaker
Silvija Stanić, psychologist, psychotherapist, child rights specialist. Parents Association Step by Step, Croatia
Working language
English
Description
Teenage pregnancies are mostly unplanned and associated with a number of risk factors such as early sexual initiation, accidental sexual contact, changing sexual partners, and inconsistent use of protection. According to data for 2019, Croatia records a rate of 8.7 / 1000 girls aged 15 to 19, which corresponds to the European Union average (8.9 / 1000) (World Bank, 2019). Teenage pregnancies and parenting are also associated with numerous health and social risks, both for teenage parents and for their children. Pregnancy and childbirth abruptly change the normal lives of teenagers, confronting them with a range of problems, from rejection in the family, dropping out of school, leaving a partner, to difficulty adjusting and accepting their new life role – the role of parents.
Through different activities, Parents Association Step by Step is preventing risky sexual behavior among young people, providing psychosocial assistance, and supporting teenage pregnant girls, parents and their families. Information, education and counseling seek to reduce the vulnerability of teenage pregnant women and parents, and empower them to take an active and responsible parental role.
The online platform MALOLJETNI-RODITELJI.NET is the first and only platform in the Republic of Croatia intended for teenage parents and young people at risk, which brings informative and educational interactive content and provides free online counseling by psychologists, social workers, lawyers and a gynecologist. This platform is highly visited by young people at risk who face doubts and fears of unwanted pregnancy, and teenage parents who face the challenges of growing up and early parenthood.
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More information about the other webinars in the Breakfast Byte series.
Missed it? You can watch the talks of the 2021 Breakfast bytes on our COFACE TV.

BREAKFAST BYTES Webinar series 2021 on Family Supports
2020-12-10
Family support in COVID-19 times – 10 Family experts – 10 European countries – 10 webinars – Meet & Connect
We launched our Breakfast Bytes webinar series on family support in January 2021, with monthly webinars throughout 2021 to spread knowledge, to put the spotlight on the work of COFACE members who provide a wide range of family supports, and grow our international community of family support practitioners. The target group of the webinars is especially professionals working with families and children but is open to all (researchers, policy-makers, teachers, health workers, families, and more). It is more important than ever to connect professionals through transnational exchanges in order to tackle the social impacts of COVID-19 on families and children. This Breakfast bytes series focuses on diverse types of family supports in 10 countries, aiming to increase critical thinking and understanding of NGO-driven family support systems. Meet and connect with family professionals every month in 2021, for a 90-minute online webinar (from 9.30-11.00 Brussels time) to learn about family support and put your questions to our experts. See different webinars below and full programme here.
Context. Family supports are an essential part of making social rights a reality, and civil society has grown over decades to create a wide range of supports for families and children to ensure health and well-being. Now, more than ever, it is important to connect professionals in real-time through transnational exchanges in order to tackle the social impacts of COVID-19 on families and children. We believe the European Family Lab can be the place to connect them, serving as an innovation incubator for ideas and cross-country knowledge transfer to help family professionals deliver the best possible supports for Europeans.
Target group. In this first phase, we are launching the first stream of the European Family Lab: a breakfast bytes webinar series on family support to help family professionals meet and connect, aiming to build their capacity through transnational exchange and innovative solutions to ensure effective responses to families, all types without discrimination. Family professionals can be adult and child educators, policy-makers, researchers, teachers, nurses, psychologists, and many more. In a second phase, we plan to target families and children more directly to make the Lab user-friendly and directly useful in their daily lives.
Values. We hope to pool the great expertise out there in family support via the Lab to foster a great community of family practitioners who adhere to the values of COFACE of gender equality, non-discrimination, social inclusion, human rights, empowerment, and intergenerational solidarity, working for the health and well-being of all types of families.

Full programme here.
Missed them? You can watch the talks of the 2021 Breakfast bytes on our COFACE TV.

COFACE expert meeting: Spotlight on single parent families and large families
2020-10-26 09:00 - 15:50 (Europe/Helsinki) | Online
FAMILIES IN VULNERABLE SITUATIONS: FROM CHALLENGES TO SOLUTIONS
Although the EU economy recovered from the last recession, it has suffered another shock as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with inequality again on the increase and some families facing multiple challenges. Single-parents’ families, large families, migrant families and families where members have disabilities or long-term conditions face high risks of social exclusion and material deprivation.
This expert meeting put the spotlight on single parent families and large families, taking COFACE virtually to the meeting hosts in Budapest where members Single Parents Foundation and NOE will provide insights into the situation in Hungary, as a starting point for discussions with counterpart organisations from other EU countries.
We examined the situation of these families in the following areas: housing, income support and work-life balance, and family care. The two main questions will be addressed in the discussions are the following:

what are the challenges identified for single parents and large families?
what solutions exist to address these challenges?

Objectives of the meeting:

Foster exchange between NGOs supporting families in different countries of the COFACE network;
Improve understanding of the specific needs of one-parent and large families;
Collect the information into a policy brief for publication.

Full programme here
Full meeting report here
Presentations from the meeting:
Welcome and introduction of the host organisations

Annemie DRIESKENS, President of COFACE Families Europe
Anna NAGY, Director of Single Parents Foundation Hungary
Kinga JÓÓ, Vice-President of NOE

Session 1: Housing

Country spotlight: Hungary: András PÁRI, Assistant Professor, Pázmány Péter Catholic University

Session 2: Work-life balance and income support

Introductory contribution about the Hungarian situation: Balázs MOLNÁR, vice-president, Maria Kopp Institute for Demography and Families
Country spotlight: Belgium
Elke VALGAEREN, Policy adviser, Gezinsbond, Belgium

Session 3: Family care for different care needs

Introductory contribution about the Hungarian situation: Réka Hegedüs, Home Start Hungary
Country spotlight: Spain
Daniel ALVAREZ, Projects manager, Isadora Duncan, Spain

Working language: English
Venue: Zoom
Meeting status: for COFACE members only
For more information, contact secretariat@coface-eu.org

The Child Guarantee: A tool to tackle family poverty?
2020-09-29 | Berlin, Germany
COFACE wants to shape a healthy and safe environment fit for families and their children and has the ambition to build a child compass 2030 to better respect the rights of children and better respond to the needs of both children and their families. One key dimension to be examined as part of this child compass is poverty reduction and support children living in families in vulnerable situations.
In 2017, the European Parliament requested that the European Commission implement a preparatory action on establishing a possible child guarantee scheme. In this context, the Commission has commissioned a Study on the feasibility of a child guarantee to ensure that all children in Europe who are at risk of poverty, social exclusion, or are otherwise disadvantaged, have access to essential services of good quality. The results of this feasibility study were presented and discussed in a European Expert Meeting hosted by COFACE and AGF on 29th September 2020 in Berlin.
During this seminar we analysed the proposals of the feasibility study, trying to contribute to the shaping of the Child Guarantee from a family perspective, integrating the two-generation approach to ensure that both children and families receive support. The results of the discussions fed into the European Commission public consultation on a European Child Guarantee. (which ended on 7th October).
Overall, the objectives of the seminar were the following:

Presenting the plans for the Child Guarantee
Contribute to shaping the Child Guarantee from a family perspective and provide input for EU public consultation on a European Child Guarantee
Rethink and reframe the Child Guarantee through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath
Foster cross-country exchanges on national family policies and how they reduce poverty
Bring together NGO and government reps on family policies
Develop a roadmap for action to implement the Child Guarantee

See here the full programme.
Presentations by speakers:
Session 1: What can the Child Guarantee look like?

Keynote presentation by Hugh Frazer, co-author of the Feasibility study on the Child Guarantee
Reaction by Natalie Picken, European Platform for Investing in Children
Reaction by Olivier Thévenon, OECD

Session 3: Family policy levers at national/local level to implement the Child Guarantee

Annemie Drieskens, Board member, Gezinsbond, Belgium
Antonia Torrens, Director, KMOP, Greece

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For a summary of the discussions, see here.

Back-to-school WEBINAR
2020-09-14 09:15 - 12:15 (Europe/Helsinki) | Online
Full programme

Not all children are going back to school in August and September. This webinar aims to raise awareness on the exclusion of children with disabilities from education and from mainstream education, structurally and in COVID-19 times.

Session 1: actions and realities in different EU countries, with a focus on Italy, Belgium, Spain and France
Session 2: panel discussion between COFACE and key European stakeholders on triggering a shift to fully inclusive education, with a view to building partnerships with and between different education and disability stakeholders.
Using article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a starting point, this webinar is part of our #BeTheSHIFT campaign launched end 2019 to achieve meaningful inclusion for persons with disabilities and their families.
Objectives of the webinar:

Collect and exchange information on this issue in a selection of European countries.
Present and discuss the COFACE Disability Platform key recommendations to ensure the right to education for all children through a shift towards inclusive education, as stated in article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Use the COFACE Families Europe S.H.I.F.T Guide proposals and approach as a compass for inclusion of persons with disabilities and their families in education and in society.
Foster dialogue and mutual exchange between COFACE Disability members and other actors in society.
Acknowledge the perspective of and join forces with different stakeholders in society, including public authorities, civil society, mainstream education sector, staff and trade unions.

Participants:
– COFACE Families Europe, staff and members
– Representatives of national/EU public authorities
– Representatives of civil society organisations
– Representatives of the mainstream education sector
– Self advocates (parents/children with disabilities) and DPOs
– Representative of workers of education
The event had English/French interpretation and closed captions/subtitles in English.
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Programme
9.15-9.30 Introduction
9.30-10.45 Session 1: Back-to-school for all?

UNAPEI, France: Back to school campaign, Back to school campaign, a citizen mobilisation on inclusive education
Gezinsbond, Belgium: The role of parents, of the children involved and of classmates in the equal access to inclusive education for all special needs children
FIAPAS, Spain: Inclusive environments to access education in equal conditions in the COVID-19 context and beyond

10.45-12.00 Session 2: Triggering the S.H.I.F.T.

COFACE S.H.I.F.T COFACE Families Europe. COFACE Disability Platform S.H.I.F.T Guide and Recommendations on Inclusive Education

Reactions and discussion with:

Kamil Goungor, Development Officer, European Network on Independent Living
Rossella Benedetti, Chair of the Standing Committee for Equality, European Trade Union Committee for Education
Mary Kyriazopoulou, Project Manager, European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Hans Martens, Head of Digital Citizenship, European Schoolnet
Géraldine Libreau, Policy Officer on Early Childhood Education and Care, European Commission

12.00-12.15 Conclusions and next steps
Chantal Bruno and Sylvie Hirtz, co-chairs of the COFACE Disability Platform for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families.
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Recommendations on Inclusive Education, based on the COFACE Disability S.H.I.F.T. guide for a meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities and their families
Media release: No more time to waste to shift towards inclusive education

Speakers and organisations on Twitter
@COFACE_EU
@irenebertana
@ENIL_EU
@kamiloulis
@ETUCE_CSEE
@eu_schoolnet
@GeraldineLibrea
#EASNIE
@UNAPEI_infos
@clara_alibert
@Gezinsbond
@FIAPAS
@APFhandicap

Toy Stories survey: Results, reactions and looking to the future
2020-06-15 | Online
COFACE Families Europe invites you to the presentation of the “Toy Stories” survey results. With more than 2000 responses from Europe and beyond, the collected results give a glimpse into European consumers’ thoughts and behaviours when it comes to toys and diversity.
The toy itself is neutral. It is the marketing around the toy that is not neutral. The only difference between a Ken figurine and an Action Man is the marketing that is done around it. – Belgium, female, aged 26-35
When?
Monday, 15th of June, 3 – 4:40 pm CEST
Language: English + closed captions
What?
Tune in to:
-Listen to the presentation of the survey results based on 2000 responses from Europe&beyond;
-Hear reactions from the Toy industry, the Advertising industry, family organisations and the European Commission;
-Put your questions to the speakers in the chat.
Where?
Re-watch the discussion below

Our children must be what they want, including the so-called stereotypical views on girls or boys, if they want to. – Finland, female, aged 36-45

Background:
Each child is born without stereotypes and predefined (gender) roles. But early in life, cultural and societal norms play an important role in the assignment of stereotypes. COFACE Families Europe runs an annual social media campaign on Toys and Diversity to promote equal opportunities and to highlight gender, disability and ethnic stereotypes in toy production, marketing and shops. In 2019, COFACE Families Europe decided to collect the stories of families in Europe and beyond, to explore what determines and influences their choices when they buy toys.
On the 20th of November 2019, Universal Children’s Day, we symbolically launched “Toy Stories”, the first Europe-wide survey on Toys and Diversity, developed and translated by COFACE members into 13 languages. The data collection took place until Christmas Day. The survey gathered more than 2,000 answers from all EU Member States and beyond. The survey, which contains some 20 questions, aims to analyse specific issues pertaining to the world of toys such as how consumers/buyers are confronted when purchasing toys, the way toy shops are organised and how this is perceived by consumers, and the role of media and marketing on toys.

I used to have “Action man”, my sister Barbie dolls. I had the blue toy, she had the pink toy. I had the castle, she had the princess castle. That didn’t stop us from swapping toys and playing with them by mixing them, and I had more “girlie” toys myself, but the split was real and became more pronounced with age. Concerning the ethnicity of the toys, the playmobils were far too all white. – France, male, aged 18-25

Webinar series: Digital Citizenship Breakfast Bytes – 11th-20th May
2020-05-11 - 2020-05-20 | Online
From 11th-20th May, enjoy a cup of tea/coffee accompanied by a Breakfast Byte of digital citizenship. Each “byte” is a short 90-minute online session (from 9.30-11.00 Brussels time) aiming to increase critical thinking and understanding of the digital world.

Full programme

Families want a healthy environment for their children to thrive and develop their own wings, this includes a healthy digital environment. Our approach is to promote education and empowerment of families to harness the full potential of technology, and our vision is set out in our 13 Digitalisation Principles. This is why COFACE Families Europe, for the International Day of Families 2020, organised a series of eight short webinars highlighting multiple layers of digital citizenship. These took place between 11th and 20th May 2020 every week day from 9.30-11.00 (Brussels time).
The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic has plunged all of us, families, children, workers, consumers, into the digital age with imposed and recommended lockdowns meaning that digital tools are slowly but surely becoming the norm for schooling, working, socialising, gaming, staying connected with family members. This makes digital citizenship and critical thinking ever more urgent. Our original plans for an offline meet-up in Zagreb through a one-day study session on 12th May have now been shifted online in the form of 8 short webinars which will allow you to listen in to speakers talking about different layers of digital citizenship, connecting the dots between different stakeholders, sectors and policy fields. The speakers come from different horizons, and will cover topics such as child safety online, cyberbullying, digitalisation in schools, gaming, digital marketing and more.
At a European level, many different actors are contributing to creating a better digital environment for children. The European Commission’s Strategy for a Better Internet for Children is currently under revision, and will contribute to set new ambitious goals, covering emerging digital technologies. In this regard, civil society, among which COFACE Families Europe, has a major role to play to operationalize the general objectives and priorities set by European Institutions. In recent years, the concept of “digital citizenship” has been used more and more in order to capture the growing complexity and importance of the digital space. Digital citizenship extends beyond the traditional “safety online”, and encompasses many different aspects such as human rights (online and offline), security, privacy, participation, and many more. The webinar series provided opportunities to explore the concept of digital citizenship and how useful it can be to contribute to creating a positive digital environment for all families without discrimination.
We kicked-off with a video address to digital citizens by Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager.

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View the full webinar series on our youtube channel and
check out the presentations here below

Breakfast Byte 1
Monday, 11th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Digital citizenship – myth or reality?
By COFACE Families Europe and the ICT Industry coalition

Breakfast Byte 2
Tuesday, 12th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Video games and civic engagement – state of play
By FOr’J (+links) – Fédération de maisons de jeunes et organisation de jeunesse, Belgium
Breakfast Byte 3
Wednesday, 13th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
European Safer Internet Strategy post-2020: key trends and priorities
By the European Commission (DG CNECT) & Better Internet for Kids
Breakfast Byte 4
Thursday, 14th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Using ICT skills to transfer human values in schools
By eTwinning
Breakfast Byte 5
Friday, 15th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
SELMA Hacking Hate toolkit: Games to empower young people online
By European schoolnet
Breakfast Byte 6
Monday, 18th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Key steps to creating a bully-free zone offline and online.
By Parents Association Step by Step, Croatia
Breakfast Byte 7
Tuesday, 19th May from 9:30 – 11:00:
Critical thinking about the predominant online business model: advertising
By COFACE Families Europe
Breakfast Byte 8
Wednesday, 20th May from 9:30 – 11:00
Are youth all natural digital citizens?
By BIK Youth ambassadors

For more information : secretariat@coface-eu.org
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Speakers and organisations on Twitter
@COFACE_EU
@vestager
@ICT_Coalition
.@lk_june
@saferinternetday
@SabrinaVau
@BIK_youth
@eTwinningEurope
@eu_schoolnet
@JulienAnnart
@khopwood
@wenglishgeek
@insafenetwork
@loncic85

“Shaping a healthy environment fit for children” conference was a success – All details around the event available!
2019-10-03 - 2019-10-04 | Helsinki, Finland
Families want a healthy environment for their children to thrive and develop their own wings. This year, we celebrate the 30 years of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. For the occasion and with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) in mind, in Helsinki on 3-4th October 2019 under the Finnish Presidency of the EU, COFACE Families Europe and Vaestoliitto (the Family Federation of Finland) hosted a gathering of family professionals on the topic of shaping a healthy environment fit for children. This is an open conference, and we gathered 80-100 key stakeholders from Finland and more than 25 European countries.
Taking a holistic family perspective and multi-generation approach as a starting point, we used the opportunity to:

Consider different areas (education, nutrition, early childhood education care, environmental risks, child-friendly cities, family circumstances) which impact the health and well-being of children;
Bring to the fore the expertise of the COFACE network and consider together how to strengthen the child health perspective in different policy areas;
Use the conference as an Open Space for family professionals to meet, exchange, network, collaborate, and build transnational dynamics;
Use the brainstorms and exchanges to develop the first elements of a 2030 compass to guide the work of COFACE and partners to ensure we can develop measures to build a healthy society, environment and economy fit for children.

This meetup started on 3rd October with a Spotlight on Finland : Round table on evidence-based methods on family work. There have been sustained national efforts to compile evidence-based methods on family work, which can be found on the “Early Intervention” online platform. Similar approaches exist in Sweden and Norway but this is quite a new trend in support programmes for families. A representative from the European Platform for Investing in Children also took part in this session to bring a European perspective to the discussions.

Presentation by Piia Karjalainen, Scientific Editor, Kasvun Tuki (“Early Intervention Platform”)
Presentation by Barbara Janta, Senior Analyst, European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC)

On 4th October, we opened the conference with a triple welcome:

Annemie Drieskens, President, COFACE Families Europe
Eija Koivuranta, Managing Director, Vaestoliitto
Katarina Ivanković Knežević, Director, Social Affairs, DG Employment, social affairs and inclusion, European Commission

We then had a Keynote session with high level speakers on the new Finnish Child Strategy and an overview of child well-being across the EU.

“The new Finnish child strategy: an integrated system to better respond to the needs of children and families” Maria Kaisa Aula, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Former head of the Finnish government programme to address child and family services, Finland
“Child well-being across the European Union in a broader socio-economic context: applicability of the IRSSV child well-being index, financed by UNICEF” Dr. Urban Boljka, Inštitut RS za socialno varstvo/Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia

Then the learning and networking happened through two channels: Open Spaces and Networking Hotspots.

Open Space 1
Age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education for children in Finland: Delivery, advocacy and building support

Presentation by Raisa Cacciatore, Doctor MD, Child psychiatrist and specialist in sexuality education, Vaestoliitto, Finland
Presentation by Drashko Kostovski, Lead on youth work and sexuality education, International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network

Open Space 2

Building child-friendly spaces and cities for well-being

Presentation by Sue Rumbold, our Chief Officer for Partnerships and Health in Leeds Children’s Services, Leeds City Council, UK

– Video – Hello From Leeds SEND 2018
– Video – The City Centre Project 2018

Presentation by Sissi Potzinger, Member of the city council, Graz, Austria& Ira Custódio, Senior Advisor, Central Union for Child Welfare, Finland

Open Space 3

Inclusive early childhood education and care – a great start for children with disabilities

Presentation by Michèle Racke, Deputy Director, APEMH Luxembourg
Presentation by Frazer Goodwin, Expert on Early Childhood Development, Eurochild

Open Space 4

The health impact of environmental risks for children with special focus on air quality and endocrine disruptors.

Presentation by Elke Valgaeren, Policy advisor, Gezinsbond, Belgium
Presentation by Anne Stauffer, Director for Strategy and Campaigns, Health and Environment Alliance

Open Space 5

Nutrimedias: a training on the impact of advertising on the food and nutritional choices of children

Presentation by Martin Schmalzried, COFACE Policy and Advocacy manager
Presentation by Sabrina Vorbau, eSafety Label Project Manager, European Schoolnet

Open Space 6
A family environment at risk of poverty: the economic, social and health consequences for well-being of children

Presentation by Silvija Stanić, Director of Parents Association Step by Step, Croatia
Presentation by Dorota Sienkiewicz, Policy Coordinator, Eurohealthnet

Find here pictures of the conference.
For more information : secretariat@coface-eu.org
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Speakers and organisations on Twitter
@COFACE_EU
@EU_Social
@Vaestoliitto
@eijakoivuranta
@katarinaik
@AulaMK
@BarbaraJanta
@CacciatoreRaisa
@Kostovskid
@suerumbold
@CustodioIra
@FrazerGoodwin
@AnneHEAL3
@SabrinaVau
@dorsie78
@BIK_youth
@EuroHealthNet
@eTwinningEurope
@Eurochild_org
@ippfen
@eu_schoolnet
@HealthandEnv
@EUROCITIESTweet
@NELFA_LGBT
@Eurocarers_info
@Kasvuntuki
@Child_Leeds

COFACE Disability Platform meets in Luxembourg
2019-06-13 - 2019-06-14 | Luxembourg
Created in 1967 by parents concerned by intellectual disability in Luxembourg, APEMH is the member of COFACE Families Europe which hosted the last meeting of the COFACE Disability Platform on 13th and 14th of June.
During the first day, COFACE members and staff could visit many of the structures and services that APEMH developed in order to respond to needs related to the accompaniment of people with intellectual disabilities. In the beautiful surroundings of Domaine du Château at Bettange-Sur-Mess, participants visited different workshops where people with disabilities work in a number of fields including agriculture, breeding, gardening, and butchery, with the support of the APEMH staff. In the afternoon, it was the turn of Kokopelli, an inclusive early childcare structure, working around the principles of open pedagogy, and which aims at including a 25% of children with special needs. Kokopelli is designed and conceived to be a model for other childcare structures willing to be inclusive and innovative in their methodologies, which are collected and shared via Incluso, a resource centre on inclusive pedagogy. The visit ended with the “Parc Merveilleux” of Bettembourg a fairground amusement park for children, fairy tale illustrations, a zoo and catering, which is also offering training and work to persons with disabilities.
Day one provided not only with practical tools, but also with food for thought: independent living was at the centre of the discussion of the afternoon roundtable focusing on the state of play, challenges and successes of the implementation of UNCRPD article 19 in Luxembourg. Contributions on the topic came from the COFACE network, APEMH, the Luxembourg Ministry of Family Affairs, Integration and the Greater Region, and Info-Handicap, the National Council of Persons with Disabilities. The transition towards independent living and full citizenship of persons with disabilities needs a shift in the mentality of the services sector, where the specialised services need to foster the right to choice and participation of persons with disabilities and the mainstream sector needs strong investment and know-how to be fully accessible and inclusive. To make this happen political will and partnership are key factors. Co-production of services, an inclusive working practice between service users, public authorities, families and other stakeholders was highlighted as promising practice, close to prevention, autonomy, life-cycle and person-centred approaches. APEMH is actively contributing to the innovation in this field by developing an incubator methodology based on co-production, in the framework of the IN-CUBA (Incubators for CO-productive Enterprises and Social Inclusion) project.
During the second day of meeting, the members of the COFACE Disability Platform had fruitful discussions on the key activities, and planned the future actions of the network.
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Here you can find our presentation on Independent Living in Europe
For more information, contact Irene Bertana COFACE policy and advocacy officer: ibertana@coface-eu.org

COFACE Round Table on family policy in Spain
2019-05-08 | Barcelona, Spain
The 2019 General Assembly of COFACE took place in Barcelona, Spain, hosted by COFACE member L’Associació Salut i Família (ASF). The meeting was the occasion to collectively take stock of the impact of 2018 actions (advocacy, campaigns, innovation, study visits, conferences, expert meetings, position papers, assessments and much more), preparing key actions of the next six months of 2019, and brainstorming on key priorities for 2020 and beyond. In combination with the General Assembly, our hosts organised two key meetings which helped COFACE civil society organisations get more insight into the realities of their Spanish colleagues: a study visit of local ASF programmes, and a public round table on family policy in Spain.
The study visit of ASF programmes was themed: Mosaic of services for vulnerable women and families. ASF is an independent, private and non-profit organization working in Catalonia, Spain and Europe, based on principles of impartiality, equity and pro-choice. ASF maintains active collaboration with public administrations and also develops a sustained advocacy to make the needs of families and vulnerable people a subject of general interest and public investment. They run several programmes for families in vulnerable situations, and on the occasion of this visit focused on the following programmes:

Care for maternity at risk, providing information on maternal and reproductive health, maternal health promotion and abortion prevention based on pro-choice principles;
Mothers between two cultures, including intercultural health promotion and family planning;-Integration and employability for vulnerable mums of migrant origin, connecting women with professional training opportunities;
Childhood is essential, supporting mothers in the early childhood years through nutrition, health advice and more;-Multiculture, assisting vulnerable women and families in escaping from isolation;
Time banks, to support community-building and exchange in local communities across Spain.

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The public round table hosted by L’Associació Salut i Família focused on Family policy in Spain in a European perspective. This round table brought together COFACE members and key Spanish stakeholders including representatives of family-friendly companies, the Ministry of social affairs, family carers and more. The round table started with a warm welcome by the presidents of ASF (Asumpta Baig) and COFACE (Annemie Drieskens), followed by a presentation by ASF Director, Elvira Mendez: “Overview of family policy in Spain: challenges and solutions”. This led to an exchange with COFACE members on challenges and solutions in their different countries, and ended with an update on the EU work-life balance directive by COFACE policy and advocacy officer, Pascual Martinez.
In the afternoon, COFACE members then continued their discussions focusing on transposition strategies for the EU worklife balance directive, different types of ECEC services provided by COFACE members (inclusive ECEC by UNAPEI and out-of-school services for children of single mothers by FAMS), the needs and work-life balance of families of children with disabilities and family carers in the sandwich generation, and finally the work of ProParents and Gezinsbond to strike up a dialogue with businesses and family-friendly workplaces.
For more information, contact secretariat@coface-eu.org

Building sustainable and future-proof education systems: How can families contribute to a paradigm shift?” 4-5 October, Austria
2018-10-04 - 2018-10-05 | Graz, Austria
A COFACE Families Europe conference, co-hosted with KFÖ, the City of Graz, the Province of Styria under the Austrian EU-Presidency

Concept
The starting point for the conference is to explore education in a holistic way and bring the family perspective to debates on education, including the core values of COFACE Families Europe: social inclusion, equal opportunities, solidarity, empowerment, human rights and non-discrimination. COFACE Families Europe considers these essential for building inclusive, diverse and sustainable communities in Europe.

Context

The Right to Education has been recognized as a human right in a number of international conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 26), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Articles 13 and 14), and the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 28) which recognises a right to free, compulsory primary education for all, and includes an obligation to develop secondary education and higher education accessible to all. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) defines and guarantees the right to inclusive education.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Education is the key that will allow many other SDGs to be achieved. Inclusive and quality education must therefore be placed as a priority in both policy and practice.
Child rights and well-being is a priority for COFACE Families Europe, and this includes in the field of education. Member organisations of COFACE Families Europe provide different types of services to families to help them support the well-being of their children, including support in addressing challenges linked to the education of their children.
Education is a hot topic at EU level, with principle 1 of the recently proclaimed European Pillar of Social Rights focusing on Education, training and life-long learning: “Everyone has the right to quality and inclusive education, training and life-long learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable them to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market.”

Conference objectives
The combination of international human rights obligations, the momentum around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the newly proclaimed European Pillar of Social Rights, and the importance of education for COFACE Families Europe, means the time is right for us to contribute to promoting education where children without discrimination can take part in quality and inclusive education, so they can have a good start in life and access better opportunities across their lifecycle.
This conference will look at education holistically, and namely:

Mainstream the core values of COFACE in discussions on education;
Examine the role of families as first educators and their support needs;
Explore the role of families in building sustainable and future-proof education systems;
Ensure that inclusive and quality education is placed as priority in both policy and practice;
Contribute to shaping the future education landscape in Europe.

Thematic workshops
Different experts on education will gather from Europe and Austria to examine practical examples of along the following four topics:

Making education inclusive and accessible for all;
The role and limits of digitalization in schools;
The importance of childcare, at a crossroads between education, family and social policy;
Supporting parents to tackle different forms of discrimination in schools.

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Speaker’s presentations
Welcome speeches
Video message from Marianne Thyssen, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility
Keynotes
“Placing the child at the centre of our education systems”
Irmeli Halinen, Director for Educational Innovations, Metodix Oy. Former Head of National Curriculum Development, Finland.
WS 1: Inclusive education from right to reality: is legislation enough to empower families?
Michèle Racke, Deputy Director of APEMH, Luxembourg.
Gaetano Santonocito, Managing Director of A.I.A.S. Città di Monza Onlus, Italy.
Isabel Amaro (Psychologist) and Maria José Lorena (Occupational Therapist), Fundaçao Liga, Portugal.
WS 2: The transformative power of digitalization in schools: where to draw the line?
Claire Morvan, Communication Manager, eTwinning, Europe.
Julien Léonard, Expert, Union Nationale des Associations Familiales, UNAF, France
WS 3: Childcare in the 21st century: at a crossroads between education, family and social policy?
Kurt Hohensinner, City Councellor for Families, Youth, Education, childcare and social affairs, Member of the City Government, Graz, Austria.
Sven Iversen, Director of the Association of German Family Organisations (AGF), Germany.
WS 4: Parental support services to address discrimination against their children: how can education contribute to building inclusive societies?
Livia Járóka, Member of European Parliament, Hungary. (video speech)
Astrid Ebenberger, KFÖ-Vice-President
Antonia Torrens, Director of KMOP (Family and Childcare Centre), Greece.

More information
To see the programme of the conference click here.
To see the biographies of the great international line-up of speakers click here.
To see the info pack, click here on INFO PACK GRAZ CONFERENCE 4-5.10.2018.
Questions? Contact secretariat@coface-eu.org

COFACE Disability Platform meeting and field visit hosted by the Institute of Robotics for Dependency in Spain
2018-06-27 | Sitges, Spain
On 25-26 June 2018, the COFACE Disability platform (for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families) met in Sitges, Spain. The meeting was hosted by COFACE member The Institute of Robotics for Dependency (IRD or Instituto de Robótica para la Dependencia in Spanish). IRD is a foundation, based in Sitges, Barcelona. It promotes and encourages research and training in robotics and assistive technology for disabled and dependant persons, in order to improve their quality of life, as well as the quality of life of their families and care professionals.
On the first day, the participants followed a Seminar on support needs in Catalonia with presentations from Rosa Cadenas (Dincat Group), Glòria Canals (Fundació Aura) and Montserrat Falgera (Redós Foundation). We will take some of the key messages from Catalonia back to Brussels in EU-level discussions, namely the need to support autonomy and inclusion, as well as fair and adequate retirement for persons with disabilities, and community-based support. After the introduction on the Catalan examples, there was an introduction of different projects from the IRD followed by a questions and answers session. Some examples here
After the seminar, the group visited the Ave Maria Foundation to see the several projects focused on enhancing independent living of persons with disabilities in the community. Some examples, the Never Alone project (telecare platform for people living at home), the innovative residential care facility of the Ave Maria Foundation for persons with disabilities and the Laundry ID project (2017 EESC Civil Society Prize winner project for labour market inclusion of persons with disabilities).
On the second day, the participants followed a session on EU developments such as the European Accessibility Act, the EEG/DI, the next EU Multi-Annual Financial Framework, the EU Disability Strategy, the European Pillar of Social Rights and the proposed EU Work-Life Balance Directive. The participants also discussed the COFACE Study on Family Carers and COFACE’s position on the family dimension of the long-term care. The COFACE members also exchanged on different training programmes for family carers.
More information about IRD: https://institutorobotica.org
Photos of the event: https://flic.kr/s/aHskAGS9nR

COFACE Families Europe celebrates 60 years of active engagement
2018-05-15
MEDIA RELEASE – 15 May 2018, International Day of Families
On the International Day of Families 2018, the United Nations is celebrating families and inclusive societies, highlighting the role of families and family policies in advancing Sustainable Development. On this occasion, COFACE Families Europe is celebrating its 60th anniversary looking back at the achievements of family organisations in Europe, and starting from there to build a sustainable future for all families.
#cofaceturns60 #familieseurope @COFACE_EU

The history of COFACE is intertwined with the history of the European Union. COFACE was born in 1958 as a separate arm of the International Union of Family Organisations, following the creation of the European Economic Community. In this context, the family was considered a ’consuming unit’. COFACE members mainstreamed the family perspective beyond consumer policy, namely in the social, education, and disability fields. COFACE members followed the evolution of society through the years, with a formal shift from “the family” to “families”.
Today, COFACE Families Europe is an open and pluralistic network of national/regional organisations representing families in their diversity, striving to build a ‘better society for all families’ driven by solidarity, non-discrimination and equal opportunities. These values guide actions at EU level to support the implementation of key agendas such as the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. COFACE members create synergies both internally and externally through their wide range of expertise spanning different areas: from social policy to education, financial inclusion, disability, care/support, gender equality, migration, consumer issues, safer internet and data protection.
Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility: “I warmly congratulate COFACE on its 60th anniversary. COFACE is a great promoter of families, of social progress and inclusion. As Commission we do what we can on the European level. But COFACE knows best what families want. I hope the next sixty years will be as fruitful, and as social, as the previous sixty”.
Looking to the future, Annemie Drieskens, COFACE Families Europe President: “More than ever, pluralistic civil society organisations like COFACE need broad support to promote core European values, and to build bridges between local and EU level. Family organisations are essential for democracy holding governments at all level accountable. They are watchdogs and agents of change drawing attention to the emerging needs of families. Together they strive for the respect and implementation of fundamental rights and a better society for all European families”. This commitment must be reflected in the future ambitions of the European Union, in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
END
COFACE has published a series of drawings illustrating 30 milestones of its history, as well as a digital exhibition with real pieces of history.
See also: International Day of Families
About COFACE Families Europe
COFACE Families Europe has been involved for 60 years in building a strong social, family friendly Europe. COFACE Families Europe advocates for strong social policies that take into consideration family needs and guarantee equal opportunities for all families.

Making the European Pillar of Social Rights a reality for Europe’s families: mind the gap
2016-09-27 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/Brussels)
Making the European Pillar of Social Rights a reality for Europe’s families: mind the gap
This COFACE seminar brought together key EU-level stakeholders, and published a discussion paper to kick off the debate.
Session 1: How to take the EU Pillar of Social Rights to the local level to both prevent and address the increasing vulnerability of families?
The first panel discussed openly and constructively how the proposed Pillar can have an impact at local level – what instruments exist already and what are the obstacles and the opportunities in using them.
Session 2: Mainstreaming social rights in other areas: how to take the Pillar beyond the EU social policy realm?
The second panel discussion focused on ensuring horizontal coherence between the Pillar and relevant parallel EU initiatives, which are relevant to some of the principles put forward in the Pillar proposal.
See here:

Full programme
Discussion paper
Seminar report
