Media Releases Archives | COFACE Families Europe https://coface-eu.org/category/media-releases/ A better society for all families Mon, 03 Jun 2024 10:25:44 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://coface-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/cropped-Star-and-name-website-32x32.png Media Releases Archives | COFACE Families Europe https://coface-eu.org/category/media-releases/ 32 32 Joint Statement on European Care Strategy transparency https://coface-eu.org/joint-statement-on-european-care-strategy-transparency/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=joint-statement-on-european-care-strategy-transparency https://coface-eu.org/joint-statement-on-european-care-strategy-transparency/#respond Mon, 03 Jun 2024 07:53:29 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=22987 Following the call on 8th April 2024 for a European Long-Term Care Platform, 18 organisations signed a joint statement urging national governments and the European Commission to ensure open and transparent reporting mechanisms for the European Care Strategy, for its effective monitoring and implementation.  

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Joint Statement. Brussels, 4th June 2024

Call for full transparency in the implementation of
the European Care Strategy

Following the call on 8th April 2024 for a European Long-Term Care Platform, 18 organisations urge national governments and the European Commission to ensure open and transparent reporting mechanisms for the European Care Strategy, for its effective monitoring and implementation.  The national measures on long-term care that Member States are projected to submit to the European Commission by June 2024 should be made publicly available on national government and European Commission websites.

______________

The 2022 Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care is to be implemented in all Member States of the EU. The Council Recommendation, and the broader European Care Strategy, form a common strategic framework that paves the way for the transformation of the care sector and the creation of a person-centred, community-based care and support system in all Member States. It lays the foundation for a system that will respect the rights and dignity of persons in need of care and support, and their families as well as carers, both professional and informal.

This strategy needs to be fully and adequately implemented to address EU Member States’ realities through ambitious national measures to be submitted to the European Commission before 8th June by the appointed national long-term care coordinators.

These national measures must be appropriately funded, ambitious, time-bound, targeted and measurable to improve the affordability, accessibility and quality of care services. They must expand home and community-based care options; consolidate support systems for informal carers; provide parents and families with freedom of choice regarding the care options that suit them best; support quality employment and fair working conditions, address the challenges of vulnerable groups and workers; and finally, improve professionalisation and address care staff shortages.

Recommendation

We urge the European Commission and Member States to ensure that all national reports on long-term care are delivered within the deadlines set by the Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care and made publicly available online through national government and European Commission websites. This action is a crucial first step to guarantee the transparency and openness needed for the successful implementation of the European Care Strategy. It will also enable engagement and oversight by civil society organisations and social partners at both the EU and national levels.

Signatories: 

AGE Platform Europe, Alzheimer Europe, Autism Europe, Caritas Europa, CECOP, COFACE Families Europe, Eurocarers, Eurodiaconia, EuroHealthNet, European Anti-Poverty Network, European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities, European Federation for Family Employment and Home Care, European Federation for Services to Individuals, European Public Service Unions, Make Mothers Matter, Mental Health Europe, PICUM, UNI Europa 

Download the statement here.


 

Contact: Sebastian Gonzalez, COFACE Policy and Advocacy Officer sgonzalez@coface-eu.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

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State Of The European Union for Families: COFACE’s assessment of the EU’s work over the last 5 Years https://coface-eu.org/state-of-the-european-union-for-families-cofaces-assessment-of-the-eus-work-over-the-last-5-years/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=state-of-the-european-union-for-families-cofaces-assessment-of-the-eus-work-over-the-last-5-years https://coface-eu.org/state-of-the-european-union-for-families-cofaces-assessment-of-the-eus-work-over-the-last-5-years/#respond Mon, 13 May 2024 13:17:42 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=22862 On this 2024 International Day of Families and ahead of the European elections in June, COFACE is pleased to publish its assessment of the European Union’s work from 2019 to 2024 as well as its key demands to the EU for the 2024-2029 mandate. Both will be presented to friends of COFACE in Brussels during a Meet&Connect event in the presence of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the occasion also to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Year of Families.

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Media Release

Brussels, 15th May 2024

On this 2024 International Day of Families and ahead of the European elections in June, COFACE is pleased to publish its assessment of the European Union’s work from 2019 to 2024 as well as its key demands to the EU for the 2024-2029 mandate. Both will be presented to friends of COFACE in Brussels during a Meet&Connect event in the presence of the Belgian Presidency of the EU, the occasion also to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Year of Families.


In 2019 COFACE Families Europe published its New Deal for Families of Today which reflects the needs and challenges of families of today and calls for a mix of European actions (policy, law, funding, benchmarking, innovation) to drive real change. These recommendations are addressed at EU-level policymakers in the European Commission, European Parliament and Council of the EU, from whom we expect joint leadership to ensure tangible results for Europe’s citizens.

After five years of hard work from our end to advocate for respect and support of the diversity of families and based on the New Deal, COFACE has assessed the European Union’s work from 2019-2024, and how it contributes to achieving positive outcomes for families of today.

Annemie Drieskens, COFACE president said: “Overall there have been important steps taken to support families! The European strategies adopted in many fields respond to the challenges faced by families and are in line with our values. We welcome especially that The European Pillar of Social Rights is strengthened, the Care Strategy reinforces the social recognition of family carers, and the Child Guarantee is an important step forward for driving actions to fight child poverty. Nevertheless, the situation is still critical for families today and it is clear that support must be sustained and reinforced. There is still a long way to go”.

Read the full assessment here.

While our assessment refers to various initiatives to support families, it cannot fully assess the real impact on families at local level yet. It is crucial for the EU institutions to conduct monitoring and evaluation of their policies to understand the impact on families in order to review and consolidate existing frameworks under the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan and key strategies including the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Better Internet for Kids + Strategy, and the European Care Strategy.

The situation is still critical for families of today, particularly in light of all the crises (health, energy, war, climate). More needs to be done to ensure that policy systems (public and private) help families face risks and to be resilient in key transitions.

We therefore call on the EU policy makers to join forces with COFACE Families Europe and Act now for families of today on ten specific actions during its next 5-year mandate from 2024-2029.

//ENDS


Notes to editor

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Motherhood employment gap: shedding light on the vicious cycle https://coface-eu.org/motherhood-employment-gap/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=motherhood-employment-gap https://coface-eu.org/motherhood-employment-gap/#respond Thu, 07 Mar 2024 10:45:02 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=22544 On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, COFACE Families Europe is calling on EU policymakers and employers to take concrete and effective measures to close the gender employment gap in the EU. Women’s participation in employment is significantly affected by motherhood, with negative consequences for their health, for families and the economy.

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Media Release

Brussels, 8 March 2024

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2024, COFACE Families Europe is calling on EU policymakers and employers to take concrete and effective measures to close the gender employment gap in the EU. Women’s participation in employment is significantly affected by motherhood, with negative consequences for their health, for families and the economy. Traditional gender norms play a huge role in maintaining these inequalities. The Horizon Europe project PATHS2INCLUDE, with COFACE as an integral partner, is investigating the extent to which gender norms account for the gender and motherhood employment gap across Europe.


The gender employment gap is defined as the difference between the employment rates of men and women aged 20-64. In 2019, the EU set a goal to halve the gender employment gap by 2030. However, according to Eurostat, in 2022, only one in five EU regions had already met the target set at 5.8 percentage points (pp) and only two EU regions registered a higher employment rate among women (The Capital Region of Lithuania and South Finland). The EU’s gender employment gap was 10.7 pp, only 0.2 pp lower than in 2021.[1]

Different reasons are behind the persisting gender disparities in employment, such as the lack of accessible early childhood education and care services, imbalanced care responsibilities, discrimination in hiring, occupational segregation, and scarcity of women in leadership. Parenthood is clearly one of the causes of the gender employment gap. In 2021, 77% of women aged 25-54 without children were employed in the EU while women in the same age group with children had a lower employment rate (72%). What is particularly striking is that children had the opposite impact on the employment rate of men in the same age group: men with children had a higher employment rate (90%) than men without children (81%). If we compare men and women, the gender employment gap reached 4 pp among people without children and went up to 18 pp among those with children.[2] These numbers send a clear message: women’s participation in employment is significantly affected by motherhood.

Sociologists developed the term “motherhood penalty” to refer to the disadvantages encountered by mothers in the labour market, perceived as less competent, less committed to paid work, less suitable for hire and promotion and deserving lower starting salaries compared to women with equal qualifications who are not mothers. Thus, mothers may experience disadvantages in terms of hiring, pay, and daily job experience.

In the EU, data from 2022 shows that 28% of women in employment were working part-time in comparison to only 8% of men. Women represent the highest share of part-time workers in all occupational categories with the highest numbers (48%) in the cleaning and food sector.[3] Often, part-time work is not a choice but a response to family responsibilities which are unequally shared within couples. A recent study by Princeton University and The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) on the effects of motherhood on women’s employment across 134 countries, shows that the responsibility of caring for young children, which is essentially a full-time job, disproportionately falls on women.[4] According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2022, men spend just a third of the time women spend on unpaid work.[5] The study by Princeton and LSE shows that in rich countries, 80% of the disparity in labour force participation between women and men can be explained by women exiting the workforce after the birth of their first child. Consequently, mothers who remain in employment, face the risks of experiencing mental health issues and overwork twice as much as men.

As we have seen, barriers to join and remain in the labour market are often amplified by the intersection of gender and motherhood, but not only. Additional factors, such as for example racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation, can exacerbate the situation of mothers and lead to significant detrimental economic and social consequences for mothers.

Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE Families Europe said: “Many women either leave or reduce their participation in the labour market to care for their family. This “gender care gap” perpetuates a vicious cycle and explains why so few women occupy top positions, why there is a pay and a pension pay gap and why women are more at risk of poverty. The situation is even worse for mothers with disabilities or caring for children with disabilities, they face higher discrimination in hiring and are more at risk of social exclusion. It is high time to better share the care and realise that family is teamwork!”

Traditional gender norms play a huge role in maintaining these inequalities. The Horizon Europe project PATHS2INCLUDE is investigating the extent to which gender norms account for the gender and motherhood employment gap across Europe. Researchers are measuring gender norms through questions on gender role beliefs from individual surveys from the European Social Survey and the World Values Survey. The analysis aims to assess the impact of traditional and non-traditional gender norms on the decision to work, on the type of jobs most typically held by women, and how much caring responsibilities and aspirations (or lack thereof) are a burden in the establishment of women in the labour market.

Subscribe to the project’s newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest research updates.: https://bit.ly/45sU2xb

//ENDS


[1] Eurostat. (2023, 28 November). Gender employment gap still persists in 2022. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20231128-1

[2] Eurostat. (2023, 2 March). Gender employment gap larger for parents in 2021. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-eurostat-news/w/edn-20230302-2

[3] Eurostat. (2023, 3 March). Share of women working part-time higher than men. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/EDN-20230303-1

[4] The Economist. (2024, 30 January). How motherhood hurts careers. https://www.economist.com/interactive/graphic-detail/2024/01/30/how-motherhood-hurts-careers

[5] World Economic Forum. (2022, July). Global Gender Gap Report 2022. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2022.pdf

Note to the editor

For more information, please contact Bettina Guigui, Senior Communication Officer bguigui@coface-eu.org.

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Time for the European Union to adopt strong rules to protect children from online sexual abuse https://coface-eu.org/time-for-the-european-union-to-adopt-strong-rules-to-protect-children-from-online-sexual-abuse/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=time-for-the-european-union-to-adopt-strong-rules-to-protect-children-from-online-sexual-abuse https://coface-eu.org/time-for-the-european-union-to-adopt-strong-rules-to-protect-children-from-online-sexual-abuse/#respond Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:35:37 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=22117 On this Safer Internet Day 2024, COFACE urges EU stakeholders to extend the temporary ePrivacy Derogation by at least two years, but with the main focus on adopting a long-term framework on preventing and combatting online child sexual abuse. Policy makers and technology companies must play their part to keep children safe online and not leave the burden on children and their families.

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Media release
Brussels, 6th February 2024

On this Safer Internet Day 2024, COFACE urges EU stakeholders to extend the temporary ePrivacy Derogation by at least two years, but with the main focus on adopting a long-term framework on preventing and combatting online child sexual abuse. Policy makers and technology companies must play their part to keep children safe online and not leave the burden on children and their families.


 

The ways families engage with digital technologies are complex and have varying effects. On the one hand, digital technologies offer unique opportunities for all family members. On the other hand, children – and adults – face online risks and challenges, such as online child sexual abuse. These risks have a major impact on a child’s safety and mental and physical wellbeing.

A holistic response is needed to tackle the ever-evolving crime of child sexual abuse. Awareness-raising and education of parents and carers can help engage with children about online behaviours, and how to recognise certain risks. However, more needs to be done. Survivors of child sexual abuse and their families need to receive the right support, and effective measures should be taken to prevent abuse of children happening in the first place. EU policy-makers need to regulate online spaces with the best interests of all children in mind and tech companies must create digital services and products that by design protect and promote children’s rights.

On the 11th of May 2022, the European Commission released a proposed Regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (CSAR), together with a New Strategy for a Better Internet for Kids. The new Regulation would put obligations on online service providers to prevent, detect, report, and remove online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) online. This Regulation would replace the temporary framework currently in force, referred to as the ePrivacy Derogation, which however is only applicable until the 3rd August 2024.

As the current EU mandate of this temporary framework comes to an end and with the EU elections in sight in June 2024, COFACE recently signed a joint statement together with over 50 tech trade associations and civil society organisations calling on the EU to take immediate and effective measures to ensure child safety online. The signatories express concerns about the lack of progress in the negotiations around the CSAR proposal. The absence of a temporary framework, such as the temporary ePrivacy Derogation, would create a legal gap for interpersonal communications service providers to continue detecting, reporting, and removing online CSAM. Therefore, signatories argue that an extension of at least two years of the temporary framework, or until the new permanent framework is in force, is necessary. Nevertheless, the primary focus remains adopting a long-term framework that is effective in preventing and combatting online child sexual abuse and that is compatible with the right to privacy and other human rights.

On the 8th of May 2024, the COFACE network will meet in Zagreb, Croatia, to take stock of these EU developments and to organise a European Study Seminar on tackling and preventing child abuse in the digital environment. The seminar will be organised with Step by Step Parents’ Association to learn about its activities as a Regional Training Centre in Croatia for the Child Assault Prevention (CAP) programme. The organisation trains CAP facilitators to equip children with effective prevention strategies to reduce their vulnerability and exposure to various forms of violence. The aim of the study seminar will be to learn more about this CAP programme in Croatia, exchange ideas with practitioners from other countries working to prevent child abuse, assess together how to upgrade programmes to prevent child abuse online, and finally to build partnerships between family organisations and safer internet centres and hotlines in the EU.

//ENDS

Notes to the editor:

Further information about COFACE work to build a safer internet can be found at the links below.

 Brave Movement Opinion Piece for COFACE (2023)

COFACE Digitalisation principles (2018)

COFACE Child Compass (2020)

European Child Sexual Abuse Legislation Advocacy Group (ECLAG)

European Commission website

Safer Internet Day website

Better Internet for Kids – BIK Portal

For more information, please contact Bettina Guigui, Senior Communication Officer bguigui@coface-eu.org.

 

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Too old to care? Looking at disability and ageing from the perspective of family carers https://coface-eu.org/too-old-to-care-looking-at-disability-and-ageing-from-the-perspective-of-family-carers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=too-old-to-care-looking-at-disability-and-ageing-from-the-perspective-of-family-carers https://coface-eu.org/too-old-to-care-looking-at-disability-and-ageing-from-the-perspective-of-family-carers/#respond Thu, 23 Nov 2023 16:11:59 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=21704 Persons with disabilities have the right to live independently, included in the community and to family life. To mark the 2023 UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the COFACE Disability Platform places the spotlight on family carers. Their crucial role can significantly boost the fulfillment of the rights outlined in the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, provided they receive adequate support. A COFACE Disability “Thematic Note” was developed to contribute to policy discussions and help find constructive solutions.

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Media release. Brussels, 4th December 2023.

UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities have the right to live independently, included in the community, and to family life. To mark the 2023 UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the COFACE Disability Platform places the spotlight on family carers. Their crucial role can significantly boost the fulfillment of the rights outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, provided they receive adequate support. A COFACE Disability “Thematic Note” was developed to contribute to policy discussions and help find constructive solutions.


As the formal Long Term Care sector is facing dramatic shortages in services and staff that has consequences on the entire society[1], the pressure on family carers is increasing. With the implementation of the European Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Care Strategy, the COFACE Disability Platform, while keeping the human rights of all as guiding objective, wants to stress the need to urgently address the needs of all family carers beyond measures to support access to the labour market. The impact on their physical and mental health related to the provision of care and support is real, especially as they are advancing in age.

Chantal Bruno, Co-president of the COFACE Disability Platform said : If the EU is serious about transforming long-term care systems in a human rights-centered manner, it should not consider care only as an economic good but as an enabler of rights and dignity for all.”

Since the proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and the COVID-19 crisis, family carers have entered the political discourse. After being neglected and forgotten and after years of advocacy from COFACE Disability Platform, the European Union and the EU Member States seem to have finally recognised that care and support is not a private matter only but a public and political one and should be addressed as such. However, to respond to the needs and challenges in an appropriate manner, family carers must first be identified.

Annemie Drieskens, COFACE President said: It is crucial during the transformation process of the care system to identify the role and responsibility daily taken by millions of family carers across Europe. Caring is timeless, family carers of all ages should be recognized for their valuable role in caregiving and receive targeted support adapted to their situation.”

In the newly released Thematic Note, the COFACE Disability Platform offers reflections on the life course perspective adopted in the 2022 Council Recommendation on access to affordable high-quality long-term care, to explore how family carers of different ages face different challenges and how to support them in accessing resources, time and services.

On the 2023 International Day, COFACE Families Europe calls on the European Commission and to EU Member States to swiftly implement measures under the European Strategy of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the European Care Strategy that ensure a global reform of the care and support system based in the community and aiming to promote the human rights of all.

Read the thematic note here.

ENDS//

Note to editor

For more information, please contact Bettina Guigui: bguigui@coface-eu.org


[1] October 2023 Joint Statement of 17 European and international NGOs

 

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No Family Left in the Cold: Europe must build more inclusive energy systems https://coface-eu.org/no-family-left-in-the-cold-europe-must-build-more-inclusive-energy-systems/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=no-family-left-in-the-cold-europe-must-build-more-inclusive-energy-systems https://coface-eu.org/no-family-left-in-the-cold-europe-must-build-more-inclusive-energy-systems/#respond Tue, 19 Sep 2023 12:08:08 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=21134 As international stakeholders gather in Warsaw today for the International Annual Conference on Energy Poverty to address the multifaceted challenges of energy poverty, it is crucial for the EU and its governments to act swiftly for a families-sensitive approach to energy policy and planning. This includes integrated policy solutions that combine energy and social policies which are vital in preparation for the winter ahead. COFACE has developed a policy brief.

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Media release
Brussels, 20th September 2023

As international stakeholders gather in Warsaw today for the International Annual Conference on Energy Poverty to address the multifaceted challenges of energy poverty, it is crucial for the EU and its governments to act swiftly for a families-sensitive approach to energy policy and planning. This includes integrated policy solutions that combine energy and social policies which are vital in preparation for the winter ahead. COFACE has developed a policy brief to highlight the family dimension of energy poverty often overlooked by policy makers.


As European societies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and cope with the impacts of war in Ukraine, the situation has put centre stage the role of families as safety nets while magnifying the shortcomings of our systems which have been ignored for too long. This situation is unacceptable and now is the time to build back better using national and EU policy and legislative tools to achieve greater well-being of children and their families, as well as access to high quality, inclusive and community-based services.

According to the recent energy poverty statistics of Eurostat, 9.3% of the EU population were unable to keep their homes adequately warm in 2022, up from 6.9% the year before. This reflects reports from COFACE members about the worrying impacts of energy poverty on families.

Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE Families Europe: “There is an urgent need for inclusive and families centered policies to tackle energy poverty. Policy makers on all levels must ensure the right to energy for all and especially address the challenges that single parent households, women-headed households, families with disabled family members, as well as larger families and intergenerational households are facing.”

The new COFACE policy brief examines what factors contribute to supporting a more family-sensitive approach to energy policy and programming for the effective implementation of social rights.  In the light of the current energy crisis, this brief also considers what further policy adjustments are needed to address new emerging challenges. For instance, due to the inflation resulting from the economic crisis, the increase of child benefits or subsidies for low-income households to help them afford rising energy costs, through energy vouchers or through affordable basic energy packages. Finally, the brief highlights the wide range of EU policy and legislative frameworks which have been adopted in the last years: these will only be effective if the specific needs and vulnerabilities of households with children and dependents are taken into account, ensuring that all families have access to affordable, reliable, and sufficient energy services.

ENDS//

Notes to editor

  • COFACE Families Europe is member of the Right to Energy Coalition which unites trade unions, anti-poverty groups, social housing providers, NGOs, environmental campaigners, health organisations and energy cooperatives across Europe. The coalition campaigns to tackle energy poverty at an EU, national and grassroot level.
  • Recognition of access to energy as a basic human right is among the key asks of COFACE under this European Commission mandate: COFACE New Deal for Families of Today
  • COFACE is a member of the recently set up Energy poverty stakeholders contact group, coordinated by DG ENER of the European Commission

For more information, please contact Bettina Guigui, Senior Communication: bguigui@coface-eu.org

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Will the European Child Guarantee positively impact the lives of  children with disabilities and their families?   https://coface-eu.org/eu-child-guarantee-assesment-media-release/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eu-child-guarantee-assesment-media-release https://coface-eu.org/eu-child-guarantee-assesment-media-release/#respond Wed, 14 Jun 2023 07:31:33 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=20875 On the 14th of June 2021, EU Member States unanimously adopted the Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. Two years after this historical adoption and the promise of all EU Member States to act to lift children and their families out of poverty, COFACE Families Europe has published an assessment of the National Action Plans implementing the Child Guarantee.

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Media Release – Brussels, 14th of June 2023
Second Anniversary of the Adoption of the Council Recommendation on the European Child Guarantee

On the 14th of June 2021, EU Member States unanimously adopted the Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee. Two years after this historical adoption and the promise of all EU Member States to act to lift children and their families out of poverty, COFACE Families Europe has published an assessment of the National Action Plans implementing the Child Guarantee. The aim of this assessment is to shed light on the need to develop inclusive key services for children with disabilities and their families based on clear targets and measures embedded in national policy-making.


The European Child Guarantee is a key step in achieving the European Pillar of Social Rights target to reduce the number of children at risk of poverty and social exclusion. However, this promise cannot be achieved without strong implementation at the national level. EU Member States agreed to develop National Action Plans (NAPs) outlining how they will implement this Council Recommendation. However, five National Action Plans are still missing and the submitted ones reflect different levels of commitment.

COFACE Families Europe assessed the plans submitted by April 2023 from the perspective of children with disabilities and their families who experience specific barriers when accessing key services and have a more significant risk of poverty and social exclusion. They are one of the six target groups highlighted within the Child Guarantee Recommendation. In the assessment, specific attention was paid to the following dimensions: inclusive education, inclusive (digital) educational tools, accessibility of key services, intersections with other policy fields or discrimination forms, involvement of children with disabilities, their families and civil society organisations, and broader measures to support families of children with disabilities.

One of the key findings from the assessment is that children with disabilities are a clear target group in most of the National Action Plans, but sufficient data and clear definitions are still lacking. Moreover, most measures for children with disabilities are related to inclusive education and school-based activities, which is an important first step to support their rights under the  United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and address poverty, but more measures are needed in relation to access to housing, healthy nutrition, and healthcare. Finally, fostering social policy frameworks and measures to support the families of children with disabilities are strong in some NAPs (such as in the Italian NAP where a peer support model for families with children with disabilities is being developed in Family Centres), but completely lacking in other NAPs.

Carmen De Lamo, vice-secretary of the Spanish Confederation of Families of Deaf People, member of the COFACE Disability Platform, said: “All children with disabilities and their families need access to support services and assistive devices, not only the ones below the poverty line, as the presence of a disability in the family increases the risk of social exclusion. Access to resources and access to services are not interchangeable but should advance together in a complementary way. This needs to be taken into consideration when drafting national measures implementing the European Child Guarantee.”

To support the drafting of the NAPs, several COFACE and COFACE Disability member organisations have taken part in the consultation processes at the national level, whereas on the contrary some others have raised concerns about the lack of consultations. It is important to keep direct and civil society involvement through the entire process.

Sven Iversen, Vice-President of COFACE Families Europe and Executive Director of the  Association of German Family Organisations (AGF), said: “Cooperation and input from representative organisations are needed for the Child Guarantee to be successful in supporting children and their families to access a set of key services. This should happen both in the preparation process of the National Action Plans and during the implementation phase to ensure the Child Guarantee is fully embedded in national and regional measures.”

COFACE Families Europe and the COFACE Disability Platform have high expectations for the full implementation of the Child Guarantee and call on Member States to use a two-generation (based on the interrelated well-being of children and their caregivers) and intersectional approach which complements efforts of other EU policy and legal frameworks to design policies which are inclusive of all children and their families. We call on the European Commission to reflect this commitment in the upcoming monitoring framework on the European Child Guarantee.

Read the full assessment here.

ENDS//

Notes to editor:

For more information, please contact Bettina Guigui: bguigui@coface-eu.org

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Early Childhood Education and Care in times of trouble: Time for European minimum quality standards  https://coface-eu.org/early-childhood-education-and-care-in-times-of-trouble-time-for-european-minimum-quality-standards/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=early-childhood-education-and-care-in-times-of-trouble-time-for-european-minimum-quality-standards https://coface-eu.org/early-childhood-education-and-care-in-times-of-trouble-time-for-european-minimum-quality-standards/#respond Mon, 15 May 2023 09:29:59 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=20764 The post Early Childhood Education and Care in times of trouble: Time for European minimum quality standards  appeared first on COFACE Families Europe.

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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, putting at risk the well-being of children, engagement of families, and the working conditions of staff in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. On this 2023 International Day of Families, COFACE calls on EU institutions and national policy-makers to start working on European minimum quality standards to be respected by all ECEC providers as a precondition for receiving funding, taking the health and well-being of children as starting point for such standards. This is essential to ensure correct and full implementation of the 2019 Council recommendation on High-Quality ECEC, in line with the ambitions of the European Care Strategy and the EU Child Guarantee.


Principle 11 of the European Pillar of Social Rights states that children have the right to affordable Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) of good quality. Since its adoption in 2017, the European Commission has been actively engaged in developing policy proposals and indicators to improve the availability and quality of ECEC in the European Union.

The ambition of COFACE Families Europe is to support all children’s right to education and care, and the reconciliation of work and family life for parents and carers by developing policies and workplace measures around three pillars: access to Resources, Services and Time. ECEC is an essential part of the Services pillar. COFACE Families Europe has been advocating for high-quality ECEC settings that are accessible, inclusive, and function as a two- and multi-generational tool benefiting children and adults.

LOW CHILDREN-TO-STAFF RATIO AS A PRIMARY DRIVER FOR CHILDREN’S  WELL-BEING AND FAMILIES’ ENGAGEMENT

COFACE Families Europe has developed a thematic note to trigger a debate on quality ECEC. The note examines a crucial precondition for high-quality ECEC provision: the ratio of children to staff in daycare settings (child-staff ratio). Low child-staff ratios can yield multiple benefits for the children and all the other actors involved. These include the ability for staff to create conditions for meaningful interactions with toddlers and infants, offering opportunities for stronger partnerships between parents and ECEC staff, and providing the necessary conditions for responsive, targeted approaches for the meaningful inclusion in mainstream education of children with disabilities.

Better child-to-staff ratios – i.e., fewer infants per skilled practitioner – are associated with key indicators of quality of care, such as increases in meaningful one-to-one interactions in playgroups, more time available for care routines, and frequency of parent-educator contacts. The benefits of improving these standards are long-term and well-documented, ranging from improved children’s well-being and engagement levels to early socio-emotional development. The content of the thematic note will be presented on the 16th of May during COFACE’s Breakfast Bytes webinar High Quality ECEC: The importance of Child-Staff ratios for children’s well-being and families’ engagement.

All European countries have ECEC guidelines with generic ‘quality standards’. What we need now is minimum quality thresholds for ECEC provision, established by national law, below which regional/municipal authorities cannot go – even in the face of severe financial constraints.

Annemie Drieskens, President said: “Governments all over Europe must make a strong commitment to develop high-quality ECEC systems. COFACE calls on the EU institutions to show leadership by setting clear and detailed minimum quality standards for ECEC across EU 27 countries including on child-staff ratios, while boosting investments in ECEC staff working conditions and career developments.”

At this juncture, when public authorities across the EU are pressed to expand ECEC participation in the framework of the European care strategy and European Child Guarantee, it is essential to keep the central elements of quality provision from being sacrificed in the effort to achieve universal access.

//ENDS 


 

Note to editor: 

A European Care Strategy for caregivers and care receivers (2022)
Council recommendation on early childhood education and care (2022)
The European Care strategy – EESC Opinion (2022)
European Child Guarantee (2021)
Council Recommendation on High-Quality Early Childhood Education and Care Systems (2019)
COFACE Thematic Note on High-quality Early Childhood Education and Care (2023)
Breakfast Bytes: High Quality ECEC: The importance of Child-Staff ratios for children’s well-being and families’ engagement

 

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Single Motherhood as a vulnerability factor: can you afford your relationship status? https://coface-eu.org/single-motherhood-as-vulnerability-factor-can-you-afford-your-relationship-status/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=single-motherhood-as-vulnerability-factor-can-you-afford-your-relationship-status https://coface-eu.org/single-motherhood-as-vulnerability-factor-can-you-afford-your-relationship-status/#respond Tue, 07 Mar 2023 14:34:56 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=20284 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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 Media release. Brussels, 8th March 2023, International Women’s Rights Day.

On this International Women’s Day, COFACE Families Europe is calling on the EU and Member States to act now for the economic and social rights of single mothers.


On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2023, COFACE Families Europe focuses its call to action on single mothers. 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. As nobody’s social, political, or economic prospects should be dictated by their relationship status, COFACE Families Europe calls on all stakeholders to reflect on policies and practices to support single mothers and their children.

In the EU in 2021, 6.0 % of women aged 25-49 lived alone with children, compared with 1.1 % of men of the same age[1]. Hence it is impossible to separate the issues faced by single parents from the ones of gender equality and achievement of women’s rights. Gender was one of the central points of the reflection for COFACE’s expert meeting on “building effective policies to support single parenthood”. Inputs from experts from various fields influencing family well-being shed a light on the situation of single-parent families in the EU, focusing on recent changes due to new policy and economic shocks.

From housing to mental health, the needs of single mothers are multi-faceted and there is an urgent need to design appropriate answers across the policy fields. There are solutions that already exist across Europe and we need to move towards a society where being a single parent is not a factor of vulnerability or considered an unsustainable economic choice but a socially and economically safe life course. While the recognition of family diversity is more and more present in EU social policies, such as the European Child Guarantee for instance (which points out single parenthood as a factor of vulnerability) there is still a long way to go to ensure that family diversity is recognised and appropriately taken into account in all policies. As Europe is undergoing multiple crises, it is more important than ever to ensure that no families are left behind because of their composition. COFACE Families Europe advocates for all families to be supported with a mix of resources, services, and time arrangements that allows them to be meaningfully included in society and preserve their well-being and boost their resilience.

This year, COFACE is paying specific attention to energy poverty as the soaring prices of energy are putting a strain on families all over Europe. Studies have shown that women-headed households were more at risk of falling into energy poverty and that energy poverty, much like other forms of poverty, is not a natural state but the result of political choice. As a member of the Right to Energy Coalition, COFACE advocates for the green transition to be a fair transition leaving no one behind.

On this International Women’s Day, we are calling on the EU and Member States to act for single mothers’ economic and social rights. Annemie Drieskens, President of COFACE Families Europe said: “It is clear that life in single-parent families is more complex. Whether it is a long-term or a transitory situation in their life course, whether it is chosen or incurred, single motherhood is too often a risk factor of poverty and social exclusion. The capacity of single mothers to be resilient and respond to socio-economic challenges  must be addressed through inclusive European and national policies  so that no member of the family is at risk.” Read our full meeting report on Building Effective Policies to Support Single Parenthood to learn more about the issues and the solutions that member states and COFACE members offer across 8 EU countries on different aspects affecting single mothers.

//ENDS

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/infographs/womenmen/bloc-1b.html?lang=en

Source: Eurofound 2022

 

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COFACE Disability Platform puts the spotlight on Children with Disabilities: Breaking policy silos to better support children with disabilities and their families https://coface-eu.org/coface-disability-platform-puts-the-spotlight-on-children-with-disabilities-breaking-policy-silos-to-better-support-children-with-disabilities-and-their-families/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=coface-disability-platform-puts-the-spotlight-on-children-with-disabilities-breaking-policy-silos-to-better-support-children-with-disabilities-and-their-families https://coface-eu.org/coface-disability-platform-puts-the-spotlight-on-children-with-disabilities-breaking-policy-silos-to-better-support-children-with-disabilities-and-their-families/#respond Thu, 01 Dec 2022 15:31:26 +0000 https://coface-eu.org/?p=19771 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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Media release, International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022 – Brussels, 2nd December 2022

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.


Children with disabilities are at the intersection of various policy fields. As persons with disabilities, they are supposedly covered by disability-specific policies and as children, their rights are protected by child-focused policies, given that they are disability-inclusive. While there should be an increased opportunity to advance the rights of children with disabilities and there are noticeable efforts to address intersecting vulnerabilities in EU social policies, much still needs to be done as children with disabilities fall through the cracks of “siloed” policy-making.

With this brief, the COFACE Disability Platform wants to launch a reflection on how to design better policy responses for children with disabilities and their families. The interrelated well-being of children and their families is now an acknowledged trait in recent EU policies and this whole-family approach is even more crucial for children with disabilities whose families need to be supported in order to create a safe a nurturing environment where children can grow up and develop according to their needs and wishes. This brief intends to extend the reflection to these families and how the focus on the intersection of disabilities and age (and more) can lead to better outcomes for children with disabilities and their families.

Chantal Bruno, COFACE Disability co-chair said: “COFACE wants to trigger a S.H.I.F.T. from children with special needs to children who require special responses and support. All children, all individuals have special needs as we are all unique, and the same goes for children with disabilities. By focusing on special responses, we can break the silo thinking in policy making and develop more intersectional and person-centered policies and programmes.”

By looking at recently adopted frameworks under the European Pillar of Social Rights Actions Plan, the COFACE Disability Platform intends to map and reflect on the state of play of the inclusion of the rights of children with disabilities in EU policies. Building on the expertise of COFACE Disability Platform members, this brief intends to explore the dynamics in EU Social either through the development of strong disability-focused policy or by integration of disability-inclusive measures across the social policy board.

Read the full policy brief here.

//ENDS

Notes to editor:

Family Organisations welcome the European Care Strategy and call for swift adoption by EU Social Affairs Ministers (COFACE, 2022)

EU Work-life Balance Directive transposition in action: A mixed picture (COFACE, 2022)

From Words to Actions: Shedding light on the S.H.I.F.T. towards meaningful inclusion in Europe (COFACE 2021)

Early childhood education and care: A tool for child education, reconciliation of work and family life, and a caring and inclusive economy (COFACE 2021)

S.H.I.F.T. A guide to shift towards meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities and their families (COFACE 2019)

For more information, please contact Camille Roux: croux@coface-eu.org 

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