A newly published working paper by rEUsilience takes a closer look at how EU and national policies can better support family resilience through practical and research-informed reforms. The paper builds on previous analysis of five key family policy areas and highlights the lack of a coordinated resilience perspective across most countries—often resulting in fragmented or exclusionary support, especially for families that fall outside the traditional nuclear model.
The paper proposes a new conceptual framework and reviews existing policies at both EU and national levels. Its aim is to lay the groundwork for 15 policy principles that promote more inclusive, flexible, and complementary support for families. Key goals include improved income support for families with children (with special attention to low-income households), narrowing the childcare gap, and expanding access to integrated family support services.
The publication is the result of a year-long, collaborative process involving comparative research and consultation with EU experts and national family organisations through dedicated Policy Lab sessions.
Three major EU initiatives, the Work-Life Balance Directive, the European Child Guarantee, and the European Care Strategy, are assessed in the paper. The analysis points to persistent gaps and rigidities in how these policies respond to real-life family needs, especially for single-parent and low-income households.
The proposed policy principles are intended to serve as a roadmap for reform, offering guidance to governments and institutions across different policy contexts.
Principles for Better Income Support for Families with Children
- Child-related Income Support Should Be Available on a Universal Basis to All Families with Children
- The Child-related Income Support Should Grant an Adequate Level of Support
- The Child-related Income Support Should Operate on a Principle of Recognising the Additional Needs of Some Families
- Recognition of the Additional Costs of Transitions in Families Should Be Built into the Child-related Income Support
Principles for Closing the Childcare Gap
- Paid Statutory Leave Should Be Universal for All Parents
- Well-paid Leave Should Be Accepted as a Principle for all Parenting-related Leaves
- Equality among Families Should be Accepted as a Principle especially by Recognising the Additional Needs of Some Families
- Gender Equality Should Remain a Core Principle of Parenting-related Leaves
- The Right and Entitlement to ECEC Should Be Universal for all Children
- There Should Be No Gap between the End of Well-paid, Parenting-related Leaves and the Onset of the Child’s Right to ECEC
- Some Families have Additional Needs regarding ECEC and Should Be Supported
ECEC Should be Governed by a Principle of Flexibility
Principles for Putting in Place Comprehensive Family Support Services
- Family Support Services Should Be Universally Available and Range from General to Highly specialised Support
- There Should Be a National-level Framework for Family Support Services Premised on Local level Provision
- Family Support Services Should Be Guided by a Holistic Approach
Read the full working paper and learn more about the Policy Principles here.
