The Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian competent authorities have signed an agreement on cooperation in implementation of the Family Card programmes in all three Baltic States (Baltic Family Card). The large families and families raising a child with disabilities holding the Family Card in Lituania will receive support, while the same applies for the honorary family certificate Goda ģimenes apliecība in Latvia, and the family card Perekaart in Estonia. The cards will be valid within the territories of all three cooperating countries, if the Partner has given his consent.
“Step-by-step we have to create an environment as favourable as possible to the families raising children. Today, the biggest challenges are faced by large families and families with children with disabilities. I believe that the Family Card will provide more opportunities to these families and I am glad that the card goes beyond Lithuania and is expanding to the other Baltic States,” – says Minister of Social Security and Labour, Mrs. Monika Navickienė.
Minister M. Navickienė is especially grateful to the partners of the Family Card, without support and goodwill of whom it would not be possible, unfortunately, to help large families and families with children with disabilities.
“The Family Card started with several national partners only, but now its network has reached almost three hundred partners and it is continuously expanding. Today we may rejoice in the international level of the card. The families’ opportunities are growing with every business or institution that welcomes use. We are grateful to our long-term partners and we are happy to see the joining new partners. We also encourage the ones who have not made their decision yet,” – says Mr. Alvydas Masiulis, Director of the Department of Supervision of Social Services that is administering the Family Cards.
The Family Card guarantees special privileges: concessions and discounts for services, goods, events, and other benefits. The holders of family cards acquire numerous one-time and multiple discounts in the public and private sectors. The discount basket is chancing and filling in all the time.
Partners
There are various ways, to become a partner – businesses or institutions come themselves or respond to invitations of families of the Family Card team. Despite of the challenges caused by restrictions of movement during the pandemic, the majority of partners, who signed time-defined contracts in 2019, are continuing them. The families using the Family Card are looking for new partners, as well.
Each partner of the Family Card will be able to welcome the families coming from Latvia and Estonia under the same conditions as applied to the Lithuanian families, while the Lithuanians travelling in the Baltic States will have the same opportunities in Latvia and Estonia.
More information about privileges offered by the Family Card and participation of certain companies in the Baltic Partnership of Family Cards is available on the website of the Family Card.
At present, the Family Card programme has 263 partners.
Families
Approximatively 40 thousand families may have a Family Card in Lithuania. The applications for a Family Card have already been submitted by 30 thousand applicants, while more than 25 thousand applicants from large families and families with children with disabilities have already been approved.
Almost every third family has these cards in the municipalities, where the number of cardholders is the smallest. The biggest number of families holding the Family Cards live in the large cities, their regions, Neringa and Ukmergė.
It is expected that the Family Card valid in the Baltic States will encourage more providers and families to join the programme not only in the border regions but in entire Lithuania, as well. The exceptional quarantine situation of the recent years forces to change the habits and the virtual services, entertainments and purchases in e-shops are becoming more and more important for the families. The relevance of the mobile app of the Family (or virtual Family Card) has also been growing. It is already used by more than 2 thousand families.
More information:
https://www.baltictimes.com/family_card_to_be_valid_across_baltics___lithuanian_ministry/
https://socmin.lrv.lt/en/news/the-family-card-opens-borders-of-the-baltic-states-to-card-holders
