Editorial
Dear Readers, Dear Friends,
This is it. The end of a busy year full of knowledge transfer, campaigning, new partnerships, confrontation of ideas, consensus-building, reporting, analysing, bridge-building across sectors, across stakeholders, across different levels of governance (from global to local level). What can I say. There is quite some holiday reading for you in this last newsletter of the year. I will let you discover it for yourself.
Suffice it to say that at COFACE we are doing our best to ensure the perspective of families is taken into account across the board (in policy and law-making, in research, in communities, in industry). Ambitious maybe, but it’s a reflection of the energy of our members across the EU who dedicate lots of energy to their communities, driven by passion and a desire for social justice. The news items below describe different actions (an event, a report, an article, a campaign, an intervention, an alliance, an initiative) which all contribute to sowing essential seeds for a real shift in mind-set. The impact being both short-term and long-term.
Some ask: Why families? Former Director of COFACE, William Lay, summarised it quite well: “Family forms may change, but the family goes on. Women and men, adults and children all need a family of some kind. Here, a home is divided against itself, next door, a new one blossoms… With all its flaws, sorrows and joys, the family is part and parcel of the human condition. It is quite clear that politics at any level cannot disregard this aspect that is part of the nature of being human. And were it to do so, family organisations are on hand to call it to order. That is what COFACE does towards the EU.”
We very much look forward to seeing you all in the New Year.
Very best wishes,
Liz Gosme
Director of COFACE Families Europe
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Annual conference "Families on the Move
-Family policy practice at the Centre of Europe"
Prague, 11-12th May 2017
On 11-12th May 2017, COFACE Families Europe will host its annual conference in Prague. The theme of the conference will be “Families on the Move” to continue driving innovation in family policy and practice in COFACE and beyond... Read more
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Save the dates for first Semester of 2017
9-10 March: AC meeting COFACE, Madrid
31 March: COFACE Disability, Lisbon
11-12 May: Annual conference “Families on the Move”, Prague
8-9 June: Reconciliation expert meeting, Helsinki
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#ToysAndDiversity: the European study of toy catalogues is out!
Early years are key in the social and cognitive development of every child and the impact that play and toys have on child development contribute to shape the child’s behaviour, interests and choices that he/she will make in later life.
Last year, we launched the #ToysAndDiversity project, made up of a social media campaign and the launch of a European study of toy catalogues, using a diversity lens. One year later, here are the results... Read more
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Recommendations for future European Pillar of Social Rights: A compass for building a family-friendly Pillar
COFACE Families Europe invites you to consider its recommendations on how to make the proposed European Pillar of Social Rights a useful social policy framework for all families in Europe. In these recommendations, we focus on:
1-Building a solid architecture for the future European Pillar of Social Rights and
2-Ensuring the Pillar principles can build long-term goals for Europe, with a focus on six principles (skills, gender equality and worklife balance, long-term care, childcare, disability, access to essential services)... Read more
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COFACE consulted by the WHO European Region: Working together for better health and well-being
On 7-8 December, the WHO Regional Office for Europe organised a High-level Conference on Working together for better health and well-being in Paris. COFACE Families Europe was asked to contribute by providing examples and case studies promoting intersectoral and interagency action for health and well-being in the European region... Read more
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COFACE at the EFIN conference on EU initiatives to tackle and prevent over-indebtedness
On the 7th of December, the European Financial Inclusion Network (EFIN) of which COFACE-Families Europe is a member, held a conference on personal indebtedness in the EU in the Parliament, in cooperation with the ALDE group, hosted by MEP Sylvie Goulard. Martin Schmalzried, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer at COFACE Families Europe, spoke at the event about the impact of an increased use of consumer data in financial services... Read more
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Blog post on the power and control of private companies over internet access and usage for the LSE blog "Parenting for a Digital Future"
The internet is seen by many as a providential tool, a great equaliser allowing for a number of core human rights to be realised including freedom of speech, helping alleviate inequalities by providing access to education and work/business opportunities Many stakeholders argue that we should simply apply a ‘laissez-faire’ philosophy to the internet… Read the blog post
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How to support children with disabilities to learn about their human rights?
Magdi Birtha, Policy and Advocacy Officer of COFACE Families Europe was invited to give a presentation about good international practices in the area of human rights education for children with disabilities. The conference took place in Budapest on 8 December, and was organised by the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union. The event was the first step to raise awareness on the importance to support children in vulnerable situation learning about their human rights... Read more
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Greece - “Work Life Balance, in crisis?” European Reconciliation Package presentation by KMOP
The Family and Childcare Centre (KMOP), the National Centre for Social Research, the Greek League for Women’s Rights and the Social Science Research Institute of the University of Iceland, organized the conference “Work Life Balance, in crisis?” in Athens. KMOP presented the research findings of a survey conducted in Greece in a sample of 1000 people who are employed in Greece aged between 25-55... Read more
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Croatia - Croatian members Korak po Korak welcome COFACE AC in Zagreb
We made the most our last 2016 Administrative Council (AC) to discover the realities that our Croatian members work in, and used this as a starting point for exchanges with other COFACE members on existing realities in other countries. Korak po Korak (“Step by Step”), which organised the study visit, is a national Croatian parents association promoting the rights of families and children, through advocating for worklife balance measures... Read more
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Belgium - The Parents' Barometer 2016: all about today’s families by Ligue des familles
The Ligue des familles has conducted a survey of families in Brussels and Wallonia, to measure new emerging trends. Reconciliation between work and family life is getting difficult: 6 out of 10 parents are concerned, compared with less than 1 out of 2 last year. 22% of parents feel they could suffer parental burn-out, regularly or on a permanent basis. Women are again the most vulnerable group. The barometer also illustrates the impact of a shortage of early childhood care on poorer families; the importance of family allowances and of out-of-school activities; as well as the ever growing impact of digitalization on our lives... Read more
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Spain - Time reform campaign by Salud y Familia
Elvira Méndez, Director of Salud y Familia, explains the campaign of the Catalan government in a recently published article: “Finding time within time”. In Catalonia, Spain, the initiative for a timetable reform-Now is the time, proposes to reorganise the timetables our society is based on. The objective is to harmonise them, slowly but surely, with the rest of Europe. This systemic change of timetable will have a significant impact on our work, education system, social and family life and with multiple effects our our daily lives... Read more
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France - Des formations pour les aidants familiaux et campagne « Solidaires contre l’isolement », Association des Paralysés de France
For a long time, family carers have been expressing a need for appropriate training on how to better manage their tasks, be more efficient and combine work and family life. Following an agreement between APF and the Caisse nationale de solidarité pour l'autonomie, an awareness and training campaign for family carers will be organized across France to the attention of those who are taking care of disabled relatives... Read more
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Finland - The association between grandparental investment and grandparents' happiness in Finland by Väestöliitto
Väestöliitto, the Family Federation of Finland is a family welfare organization working in the social and health sector. Väestöliitto analysed the association between grandparental investment and grandparents' happiness using nationally representative data from the Generational Transmissions in Finland project... Read more
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COFACE Families Europe celebrated the European Day of Persons with Disabilities
As every year, the European Commission celebrated the Day of Persons with Disabilities by organising a big conference in Brussels together with the European Disability Forum.
Since 2016, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), taking stock of the implementation of the CRPD lay at the heart of the event. The CRPD is the landmark international human rights treaty, protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and their families in all aspects of life... Read more
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European Commission proposes revision of EU social security coordination legislation
On 13 December, the European Commission published its proposals for a revision of existing EU legislation on social security in order to facilitate labour mobility across the EU and access to social security for mobile workers.
The revision covers unemployment benefits, long-term care benefits, access to welfare benefits, social security for posted workers, and family benefits... Read more
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European conference: A Great Start in Life - The best possible education in early years
The Great Start in Life conference aimed at bringing bring researchers, policymakers, early childhood education and care and primary school staff together to discuss how to create the conditions for the best possible education in the early years. For COFACE Families Europe, it is very important to provide all children with access to a variety of available, affordable and high-quality childcare services in the communities... Read more
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Progress report in preparation on the 2013 European Commission Recommendation on Investing in Children
On 6th December, the Commission consulted various networks on the implementation of the recommendation on “Investing in children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage”. COFACE Families Europe was invited to make a statement at the meeting. We referred to the need to ensure the right for all children to access a variety of available, affordable and high-quality childcare services in the communities in order to reduce the risk of poverty of children and their families... Read more
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Commission launches Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition to help Europeans in their career and daily life
On December 1st, the Commission launched the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, together with Member States, companies, social partners, NGOs and education providers, to help meet the high demand for digital skills in Europe which are essential in today's job market and society... Read more
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"Online Business models are broken” our contribution to the Better Internet for Kids bulletin
In this article, we hear from Martin Schmalzried, Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer at COFACE Families Europe on some of the many challenges presented by online business models, and especially how these might impact on internet users. Read the blog post
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Joint NGO statement: EU leaders can save lives this winter if they change migration policies
COFACE Families Europe signed a joint statement with 31 NGOs addressed to the European Council, ahead of its meeting on 15 December. Strengthening the framework for legal migration, expanding safe and legal routes for refugees and protecting the rights of everyone who arrives in Europe, should be the priorities of European migration policies... Read the statement
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What about our kids? EPHA conference on the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD)
Children and young people in Europe are still subject to the aggressive marketing of alcohol and foods high in fat, sugar and salt on a frequent basis. The proposed revision of the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive is a key opportunity to free Europe’s young people from health-harmful marketing that can’t be overlooked... Read more
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