Latest activities

Check out the latest COFACE activities, and use the search for further information on the latest campaigns, media releases, publications, events, projects and more.

Campaigns

#FamilyTeamworkNews
Taking action to achieve Gender Equality: COFACE’s President speaks at the European Parliament

Taking action to achieve Gender Equality: COFACE’s President speaks at the European Parliament

COFACE and its members in Europe work to address the needs of all families and boost gender equality. In February 2023, our president Annemie Drieskens delivered a speech at the European Parliament during the “Empowering Women Now” event organised by Renew Europe. 

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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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#FamilyTeamworkNews
Taking action to achieve Gender Equality: COFACE’s President speaks at the European Parliament

Taking action to achieve Gender Equality: COFACE’s President speaks at the European Parliament

COFACE and its members in Europe work to address the needs of all families and boost gender equality. In February 2023, our president Annemie Drieskens delivered a speech at the European Parliament during the “Empowering Women Now” event organised by Renew Europe. 

Read More

#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.

Read More

News

News
Image of child and backpack with text " France Sweet France, Land of Education For all... except pupils with disabilities" and "#NotSoSweetFrance".
The Council of Europe denounces the violation of the rights of people with disabilities by the French State

The Council of Europe denounces the violation of the rights of people with disabilities by the French State

The Council of Europe's Committee of Social Rights recognises that in terms of social protection, the French state does not do enough for families affected by disability which contributes to their discrimination and precariousness. This statement is the result of a collective complaint filed by Unapei, APF France handicap, Unafam and FNATH.

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News
Inclusive education for an Inclusive Europe – a critical perspective by Genitori Tosti 

Inclusive education for an Inclusive Europe – a critical perspective by Genitori Tosti 

Representatives of Genitori Tosti (member of COFACE Disability) attended a European expert meeting co-organised by AIAS and COFACE Disability to take stock of progress in inclusive education in Europe. The event took place at the end of March with 100+ participants in Monza (Italy) looking at the Italian system as a starting point for discussions with European peer countries and with EU policy-makers. 

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Projects

COFACE Families Europe builds projects with its members (NGOs) and partners (research and policy), in order to deepen our actions in specific domains and strengthen the research-policy-practice triangle.

By building partnerships between practitioners, policy-makers and research institutions, we aim to support evidence-based practice and policy-making. We have been involved with a wide range of European projects, as both advisory board members and impact managers, funded by Erasmus+, Horizon 2020 and the European Research Council. We use the research to feed into EU and national policies under review and under preparation, and disseminate the results to our wide network of family organisations, inserting the research into practice via different programmes to support families which are run by COFACE members.

Publications

Opinions

Opinions
OPINION – Empowering Parenthood: How the Work-Life Balance Directive Reshapes Parental Leave in Poland

OPINION – Empowering Parenthood: How the Work-Life Balance Directive Reshapes Parental Leave in Poland

On 23rd of March 2023, the President of Poland signed the bill implementing the work-life balance directive in Poland and the new regulation came into force on 26th of April 2023. This marks, two years of advocacy work led by Share the Care foundation coming to an end.

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NewsOpinions
OPINION – Children with imprisoned parents: ‘forgotten victims’ of the criminal justice system

OPINION – Children with imprisoned parents: ‘forgotten victims’ of the criminal justice system

Have you ever been inside a prison? For many children in Europe the inside of a prison is a reality when they go visit their imprisoned parent, some children even live together with their parent inside the prison. Children with imprisoned parents are often ‘invisible’ or ‘forgotten victims’ of the criminal justice system.

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Media Releases

Media ReleasesNews
Early Childhood Education and Care in times of trouble: Time for European minimum quality standards 

Early Childhood Education and Care in times of trouble: Time for European minimum quality standards 

Media release, 15th May 2023  International Day of Families    As governments across the EU are called upon to increase the overall uptake of Early Childhood Education and Care, COFACE members are reporting increasing trade-offs between quality and quantity,...

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Media ReleasesNews
Single Motherhood as a vulnerability factor: can you afford your relationship status?

Single Motherhood as a vulnerability factor: can you afford your relationship status?

While single motherhood does not automatically mean vulnerability, statistics, and testimonies show that this status puts women at increased risk of poverty and social exclusion.  On this International women’s rights day, COFACE Families Europe is calling on the EU and Member States to act now for the economic and social rights of single mothers.

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#BeTheSHIFTMedia Releases
An image of parents and child with Down syndrome smiling and sitting on grass
COFACE Disability Platform puts the spotlight on Children with Disabilities: Breaking policy silos to better support children with disabilities and their families

COFACE Disability Platform puts the spotlight on Children with Disabilities: Breaking policy silos to better support children with disabilities and their families

In the run-up to the 2022 International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the COFACE Disability Platform for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families is launching a policy brief looking at how children with disabilities are represented in recent EU Social Policy Frameworks. With this brief COFACE Disability wants to launch a reflection on the intersection between disability and age and how to integrate it into policies and programmes. For this EU Year of Youth COFACE Disability has focused this brief on Children with Disabilities and their families.

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