Families Europe

17/10/2026

💡Did you know we are calling for the European Union to tackle family poverty?

On this International day for the Eradication of Poverty we are revisiting our position paper on Preventing Family Poverty: A pillar of social and economic resilience and ask you to reflect on how we can tackle family poverty.

To effectively address poverty and social exclusion, policies must adopt a familycentred lens, recognising households as interdependent systems where vulnerabilities intersect and compound across generations.

Learn more about COFACE's position on family poverty here: https://coface-eu.org/preventing-family-poverty-a-pillar-of-social-and-economic-resilience/

08/10/2026

📱 What has changed since mobile phone restrictions were introduced in schools?

Through its Live Without Bullying campaign, our member KMOP has carried out a research project, gathering responses from 342 educators across Greece to explore the impact of mobile phone restrictions in Greek schools.

📊 The findings show that more than two-thirds of educators report a high or very high level of implementation, alongside increased classroom participation and social interaction.

However, educators also reported higher levels of anxiety and difficulties with social interaction among students.

🔗 Read more about KMOP's research: https://coface-eu.org/new-survey-from-kmop-explores-the-effects-of-mobile-phone-restrictions-in-greek-schools/

Since the introduction of the current mobile phone restrictions in Greek schools, COFACE member KMOP has conducted research on the impact of these measures on educators.

06/10/2026

📣 Join us for the next COFACE Breakfast Bytes webinar!

🗓️ 4 November 2026 | 🕤 9:30–11:00 AM CET (Brussels time)

🌐 Zoom (Free & in English)

🔗 Register: https://coface-eu.org/event/breakfast-bytes-webinar-women-care-and-artificial-intelligence/

Topic: Women, Care and Artificial Intelligence

🎙️ Speakers:

▪️ Camila Rodrigues, President of Mulheres à Obra, Portugal.

▪️ Valentina Disoska, President of the Association of Business Women - N. Macedonia.

This webinar will examine how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping care responsibilities, gender equality and women’s participation in the labour market, entrepreneurship and community life. It will draw on the experience of the Mulheres à Obra network: a Portuguese community and platform that supports female entrepreneurship.

We will also explore key learnings from the Erasmus+ project Women Without Borders - a European initiative that that creates inclusive learning spaces for women to strengthen their digital competences, expand their professional networks and embrace new opportunities through technological innovation.

👉 Register now: https://coface-eu.org/event/breakfast-bytes-webinar-women-care-and-artificial-intelligence/

05/10/2026

📣 Exciting opportunity alert!

COFACE Families Europe is looking for a Communication & Events Intern to join the secretariat in Brussels. The ideal candidate will help manage the website, craft newsletter content, design graphics, support social media, and assist with organising multi-stakeholder events.

This role is perfect for someone passionate about EU policy, family rights, and communications. Someone ready to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic NGO.

📝 Find more and apply before 20 October here: https://coface-eu.org/call-for-a-communication-and-events-intern-for-2027

28/09/2026

🌍 Bringing families and migration into focus

COFACE Families Europe is continuing its work on migration and families through our Working Group on Migration.

The working group brings together COFACE members to exchange experiences, perspectives and good practices on the realities faced by families with a migration background across Europe.

The next meeting will provide an opportunity for members to explore current challenges, share approaches from different countries and strengthen mutual learning across the COFACE network.

🔎 Find out more about the Working Group on Migration: https://coface-eu.org/event/coface-working-group-on-migration/

25/09/2026

To mark the International Day of Deaf People, our Spanish member FIAPAS has launched its 2026 campaign, “The Double Loss”.

The campaign’s message is clear: losing hearing shouldn’t mean losing rights!

Alongside the campaign, FIAPAS has also published its Institutional Manifesto, “The Right to Hear Without Discrimination”.

👉 Read more about FIAPAS’s work here: https://coface-eu.org/fiapas-marks-the-international-day-of-deaf-people-with-its-2026-campaign-and-manifesto/

24/09/2026

📣 Last week, the European Commission published their proposal for an EU KIDS Act. President von der Leyen said: “Our KIDS Act is reversing the burden of proof - it is for platforms to show they are safe by design. And we put parents back in the driving seat, giving them the tools to help their children navigate a safer online world.”

📑 The proposal follows the developmental and safe-by-design approach which was recommended in the report of the co-chairs of the Special Panel on child safety online. The scope includes digital services that go beyond social media, including online games, AI companions and chatbots.

The proposal sets out harmonised rules on three aspects:

➡️ a minimum age of 15 for creating an account with online social networking services and video-sharing platform services where those services pose a risk to the privacy, safety or security of a minor below that age (with exceptions where parents may set up a “mini account” for under 15s and allow guardian-controlled access for under 13s)

➡️ safety requirements for online social networking services, video-sharing platform services, online games, software application stores, AI companions and general conversational chatbots

➡️ age assurance solutions

If we want to put parents back in the driving seat, we need strong social policies and investments to support them, giving them the time, resources and skills to be involved in their children’s digital experiences. The roles are clear. Providers of digital services need to respect their due diligence obligations and design services that are safe and age-appropriate. Parents need to be able to care for their children through open and trust-based relationships.

COFACE will assess the proposal in more detail and is ready to collaborate with the different EU institutions to further protect and empower families in the digital era.

🔗 For more information on the proposal, please check our website: https://coface-eu.org/european-commission-publishes-legislative-proposal-to-protect-children-online/

17/09/2026

📣 Webinar: 'The Finnish Family Centre Model'

8 October 2026 | 14:00 -16:00 (CEST)

Organised by the Kenniscentrum Gezinswetenschappen - hogeschool Odisee for Family Studies and COFACE Families Europe within the framework of the European Observatory on Family Policies

Serving as a “teaser” ahead of the Observatory’s upcoming Insights on Family Policy feature publication in November 2026, the webinar will discuss key questions related to the workings of the Finnish family centre model, including its cross-sectoral architecture, multi-level governance, and implementation - how it adapts across different regional territories.

🔗 Register here: https://coface-eu.org/event/european-observatory-on-family-policy-thematic-webinar/

17/09/2026

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Single-parent families take centre stage

This Tuesday, COFACE Families Europe brought together 30+ participants from 15 European countries for the first meeting of our new Working Group on Single-Parent Families.

The group provides a space to connect, share experiences and strengthen cooperation around the realities and needs of single-parent families across Europe.

Together, we will continue putting single-parent families higher on the European policy agenda and strengthening the exchange of knowledge and experiences across our network.

📖 Read more about the new Working Group and its first meeting: https://coface-eu.org/single-parent-families-take-centre-stage-in-new-coface-working-group/

15/09/2026

📱👩‍⚖️ Regulate tech, not kids.

COFACE Families Europe is proud to join 140+ organisations and experts in child rights, digital rights and mental health in a letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen ahead of her State of the Union address on 16 September.

A year ago, President von der Leyen committed to child safety online, launching an expert panel to advise the EU on next steps. Today, we are urging her to turn their recommendations into concrete action.

Recent developments make clear that what children need is protection that goes beyond restricting their access. Together, we are calling for a harmonised EU approach that makes safety a condition of providing digital services to children.

The responsibility of keeping children safe online should sit with the tech companies that are designing this space. Not with parents. Not with children.

🔗 Read the full letter: https://5rightsfoundation.com/regulate-tech-not-kids-say-130-organisations-and-experts-ahead-of-eu-state-of-the-union/
🔗 Read COFACE’s first reaction on the Special Panel report here: https://coface-eu.org/recommendations-to-protect-and-empower-minors-in-a-digital-world-report-of-the-special-panel-on-child-safety-online/