Demographic and family policy discourses and practices in Europe

The Association of German Family Organisations (AGF) was delighted to organise its annual European Expert Meeting on Demographic and family policy discourses and practices in Europe on 17 November in Berlin. We discussed the challenges for societies in Europe that come with demographic change and its consequences. Against the backdrop of very pluralistic family realities in Europe we particularly focused […]

Family organisations: Putting the interests of families, children and young people at the heart of the review of the COVID-19 pandemic

The organisations joined in the Association of German Family Organisations have called for greater focus to be placed on the hardships faced by children, young people and families during the COVID pandemic, as well as on the future representation of their interests in crisis situations. In the course of today’s general assembly, a very constructive exchange took place between Ates […]

Statement by the AGF for the expert commission on ‘Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World’

At the invitation of the Expert Commission on ‘Child and Youth Protection in the Digital World’, the AGF took part in the third hearing, entitled ‘Practical Perspectives from Parents, Educators, Youth Welfare Services, the Police and the Judiciary’, on Tuesday 10 March. Its oral contribution was based on the written submission it had previously submitted. The statement currently is only […]

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AGF statement on the 1st German biannual report on the national implementation of the EU Child Gurantee

On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the German government passed a cabinet resolution on its reporting under the European Child Guarantee. In Germany, the National Action Plan “New Opportunities for Children in Germany” is the basis for implementing the EU Child Guarantee. The EU Child Guarantee provides for two-yearly reporting on the status and progress of national implementation. The deadline for […]

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Report of the European Expert meeting of AGF and COFACE Europe on on the Child Guarantee and local poverty prevention

The European Child Guarantee recognises the importance of using national and local policy levers to support its implementation through quality services for children in vulnerable situations. Municipalities and services are at the forefront of work to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. According to a report adopted by the European Parliament in November 2023, “more needs to be done to […]

AGF comments: The current discussion on measures proposed by the European Commission to prevent and combat the sexual abuse of children on the internet

Background Combating child sexual abuse (CSA) is an important objective of the EU. In this connection, the Internet as an environment in which children spend a great deal of time poses a particular challenge. Despite its efforts to date, the EU is clearly failing to protect children from becoming victims of online sexual abuse. The existing regulations, which are primarily […]

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Implementation of the European Child Guarantee

This text served as base for an article that was first published in FORUM Jugendhilfe 02/2024 (in German), July 2024 1 Introduction and background The European Child Guarantee is a voluntary commitment by EU member states to improve the situation of poor children and children at risk of poverty by 2030. In Germany, it is being put in place through […]

AGF position on the planned EU Parenthood Regulation

The representatives of the EU Member States are currently negotiating a proposal from the EU Commission for a Council Regulation on the mutual recognition of parenthood in the EU. The aim of the planned regulation is to ensure that the parenthood of a child that is legally established in one EU member state is also recognised by the other member […]

Family-specific perspectives on housing policy

The availability and affordability of housing as well as the quality of the housing and the living environment and supporting infrastructure are of crucial importance for the quality of family life. The challenges of access to suitable housing and its affordability, which have been increasing for some time, affect all types of households. However, families have specific needs that distinguish […]

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New publication by the National Family Forum: “Support structures for families – objectives, access, services”

In 2022/2023, the members of the National Forum Family worked on the thematic focus “Support structures for families: How are family support structures designed, organised and implemented in Germany?” This now published publication summarises the process, which consisted of specialist events and working group meetings. Among other things, the publication emphasises how important it is to have the political will […]