Objectives and tasks

The members of the Association of German Family Organisations (AGF) e.V. are

  • Deutsche Familienverband (German Family Association) – DFV,
  • evangelische arbeitsgemeinschaft familie (Protestant Working Group Family) – eaf,
  • Familienbund der Katholiken (Catholic Family Association) – FDK,
  • Verband alleinerziehender Mütter und Väter (Association for Single Fathers and Mothers) – VAMV
  • Verband binationaler Familien und Partnerschaften (Association of Binational Families and Partnerships) – iaf
  • Zukunftsforum Familie – ZFF

The AGF campaigns for the rights and interests of families in politics and society. It promotes dialog between the associations and the special-interest groups of the family and those responsible in family policy. In addition, the AGF supports the cooperation of the family-policy active organizations on a national and international level. Through its participation in parliamentary hearings, with family-policy statements and position papers as well as press releases and other publications the AGF has an effective scope for design. In talks with parliamentarians and those responsible in politics, the AGF shows its positions on topical family-political developments and legal plans and demonstrates its positions on current developments in family politics and legislative bills. Its symposiums and expert talks are subject forums on current themes in family politics. They are especially directed towards actors in politics and science, from civil social organisations and the media, and they continue to develop this political work further, using new expertise.

The Association of the German Family Organisations recognises family policy to be a central field in the policy of society. It is a policy cross sectional task that has effects in various different political areas, for example, education and integration policy, social and health policy, financial and economic policy, working policy and pension policy.


An increasingly important focus point of the work of the AGF is its activities at the European level. The AGF cooperates increasingly with family-political unions and organizations from other European countries. Family-political subjects with transnational meaning are consulted, common positions are formulated and introduced  into European policy, i.e. to the relevant decision making committees. The AGF is the only German member of the COFACE (Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union) and here carries out valuable contributions in the communication between the national and European level. The AGF is thereby an important contact and connecting bridge between German and non German family organizations.


One of the more important thematic focus points over the last two years was “child poverty” which the AGF with expert discussions and symposia on a German and European level has greatly laboured on. Due to the fact that child poverty is further increasing, not only in Germany, but in many European countries, this pressing problem will continue to be an important field of work of the AGF. With the current European year against Poverty and Social Exclusion in mind, the AGF will tackle the issue further, together with civil-social organizations and family associations from Germany and other European countries. An important basis for this is the ”Position Paper on the fight against and the prevention of child poverty in the European Union” which originated in a process with the help of two conferences in 2008 and 2009 and which is being carried by the participant organisations of the 2009 conference.

AGF is supported by:

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