|
|
Editorial
Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store
Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more.
(Dr. Seuss, How the Grich Stole Christmas)
Dear Readers,
Here we are, another year has gone by. Where did it go? Do you also have the strange feeling when writing already 2013 in some places?
We are, as many of you I guess, starting to take stock of what has happened, and what we have achieved in 2012:
3 number of times we spent a week in Strasbourg with the Written Declaration nr.32
240 is the number of MEPs who have signed it till now
188 is the article number in the Trio Presidency programme referring to 2014
6 is the number of staff at COFACE
Here we have one more newsletter to close off 2012, with plenty to look forward to in 2013.
Hopefully we will see many of you at our Conference "Vulnerable Families – what can Europe do?” in association with the Irish Presidency on the 4-5th February in Dublin.
Thank you very much for your continued support and interest in the activities of COFACE, we wish you a wonderful, relaxing holiday, and good health, happiness and a prosperous New Year!
The COFACE team
Bonus:
|
|
 |
COFACE - Trio Presidency work programme endorses 2014 as European Year for Reconciling Work and Family LifeAt the 3210th meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on the 11th December 2012, the representatives of the up-coming Trio Presidency, namely Ireland, Lithuania and Greece presented their 18 months work programme setting out the Council's work as established by the future Irish, Lithuanian and Greek Presidencies, covering the period January 2013 to June 2014.
Under the Operational Programme for Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs, there is a specific mention of the 2014 European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life. It states that "Designating 2014 as the European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life would help improving the social situation of families by triggering a reflection on the necessary responses to the far-reaching societal challenges in this context".
While acknowledging, that family policy and families are primarily within the competence of the Member States, "there is considerable scope for cooperation at EU level which can also provide added value to policy options and solutions at national level".
"This is very good news for COFACE, the 2014 Alliance, but also for women and men in Europe, for the families who are struggling to reconcile their family life with their work commitments and their carers responsibilities." says Annemie Drieskens, the President of COFACE.
More: Download the Press release
The campaign: http://eyf2014.wordpress.com/
|
|
 |
4-5 February 2013:
High Level conference on Vulnerable familiesThe Conference "Vulnerable Families – What can Europe do?” is co-organised by COFACE and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. The Conference will be hosted by the Irish Presidency and will be held in the picturesque Dublin castle on the 4th and 5th February 2013.
Through keynote speeches by outstanding scholars and high level policy makers, as well as three parallel workshops, the Conference presents a great opportunity for networking and to discuss how to tackle the negative effects of austerity measures on those most at risk of poverty and social exclusion in our society.
In the current economic and social climate we couldn’t have chosen a better topic than shining the spotlight on the families who are the most vulnerable, therefore suffering the most from the economic downturn and the shrinking labour market. Cuts due to austerity measures put these families in further risk as they lose out on vital services, like housing, social services and health services.
Twitter account of the conference: @FamiliesVul
More information |
|
|
 |
COFACE-Disability observes the International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesDecember 3 is the International (and European) Day of persons with disabilities. For many of us, this is one day in the calendar, when we think about these issues, for the disabled persons and their families, there are 365. Especially the current cuts to services and allowances are dangerously undoing all the good that has already been achieved so far.
COFACE has been advocating for many years in favour of changing the way we think about people with disabilities and their families and for the recognition of the status of family carer. People with disabilities and their families must not be left alone and recognising the role of family carers is a fundamental step to ameliorate their quality of life, enabling them to participate more actively in society and the labour market.
COFACE’s campaign calling for the designation of 2014 European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Lifealso has a very strong dimension for people living with disabilities and their families, as work needs to be done on both the labour market inclusion of the disabled, as well as the reconciliation of work and care responsibilities for their carers, especially to prevent poverty, social exclusion and many mental health problems related to being isolated and abandoned with the enormous task of being a family carer.
More: Download the Press release
|
|
 |
EU - European Strategy for a Better Internet for ChildrenThe European Council adopted conclusions on the European Strategy for a Better Internet for Children. COFACE very much supports the Council conclusions and specifically:
The necessity to address the particular needs and vulnerabilities of children on-line, and to make the Internet a place of opportunity for all the children of Europe regardless of ethnic, cultural and social background, and for children with disabilities and special needs.
The recognised role of NGOs such as family organisations to: promote, produce and disseminate quality content in cooperation with public or private actors, contribute to the awareness raising and empowerment of families, parents and children alike, report on harmful content to public authorities, being involved in the policy making process such as the CEO Coalition.
Read more
|
|
|
 |
Members/UNAF - "The fairytale story of family diversity"Families have always taken innumerable shapes and sizes in our society. Most fairytales for example, tell stories of non-traditional families, like Little Red Riding Hood, the child of a lone parent family, or Cinderella’s blended family. The list goes on and on. And while we have all grown up knowing different kinds of family, not all are treated equally.
This is what prompted Spain's Union of Family Associations - UNAF, to host its II Congress of Families on the theme "The fairytale story of family diversity" in Madrid on 12 to 14 December. The conference looked at the multiple family models that are now an inescapable fact of life.
The Congress was an opportunity to share knowledge and ideas on different family models like lone parent families; differences in abilities; age and sexual orientation; multiculturalism; blended families; adoption and foster care; social exclusion; and psychological development in new family structures.
Transitions between family models during a person’s life are increasingly frequent, reflecting entrenched gender inequalities in the family, greater freedom of self-determination and longer life expectancies... Read more
One of the conclusions reached by the Congress was that while "reasonable" equality for families has been achieved in justice and education, inequalities remain and may even be getting worse in extreme cases since the onset of the crisis, which effectively "fosters family diversity".
Traditional, lone parent, blended, adoptive, LGBT ... what makes a family is not the set-up but the warmth and quality of its members’ relations.
|
|
 |
EU - Rethinking Education"Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes". COFACE welcomes this Communication from the Commission and especially supports:
The necessity to invest in education and particularly in early childhood education and care. Enough research has shown the beneficial impact of early education investment but this has not always translated in appropriate policy measures at member states level. Early Childhood Education and Care facilities are key to the implementation of reconciliation policies.
The promotion of policies targeting the most vulnerable groups. These groups are often stuck in an intergenerational transmission of poverty and social exclusion. Children of vulnerable families are always most at risk of early school leaving, negative health outcomes (obesity), unemployment… See the upcoming conference on vulnerable families in Dublin.
Read more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
