AGF Position Papers and Statements

The position papers and statements following are listed in chronological order. You will find our press releases in the Presssection, the reports of our events at past events.

  • AGF Statement on the second report by the Independent Advisory Council for the Reconciliation of Care and Work

    Berlin, 13 July 2023 – On the occasion of the presentation of the 2nd overall report of the Advisory Council, the family organisations in their statement point out the great commitment of families in caring for relatives in need of care. They emphasise the great importance of introducing a 36-month family care leave as it…

  • AGF-Statement on the German draft National Action Plan “New Opportunities for Children in Germany”

    For the family organisations within the AGF, the European Child Guarantee is an important instrument both for combating child poverty in Germany and for at least mitigating the social inclusion deficits of children and young people. It was for this reason that the AGF made its voice heard very early by setting up a series…

  • Family Organisations support call for high quality implementation of the law on all-day care for children of primary school age

    The family organisations support hte call for high-quality implementation of the law on all day care and education for children of primary school age that was published today. More than 30 organisations and trade unions signed the call, wich highlights the importance of a high quality all day care and education. The call is published…

  • AGF Statement on the Partial Report of the Independent Advisory Council on the Reconciliation of Care and Work

    The AGF has published a statement on the Partial Report of the Independent AdvisoryCouncil on the Reconciliation of Care and Work. The Council released its report ‘Recommendations on Family Care Leave and the Family Care Allowance’ in August 2022. In its report the AGF welcomes the measures proposed as a major step towards relieving the…

  • AGF recommendations on the Child Guarantee

    [31. 5. 2022] The AGF accompanies the process of implementing the “European Guarantee for Children” with expert discussions and recommendation papers. The AGF has submitted recommendations on two further topics for the National Action Plan “New Opportunities for Children in Germany”, which is currently being drafted. The current recommendations deal with the topics “EARLY CHILDHOOD…

  • AGF Statement on the Draft Bill of the Compatibility Directive Implementation Act – VRUG

    [4. 5. 2022] The AGF has published a statement on the plans of the Federal Government to implement the so-called EU Work-Life balnace Package. On 4 April 2019, this directive was adopted, which contains new rules for better reconciliation of family life and work. The deadline for the national implementation is 2 August 2022. The…

  • Implementation of the Child Guarantee in Germany: Recommendations of the AGF for the area of “Health”

    [13. 1. 2022] The AGF has presented recommendations on the topic area “health” of the Child Guarantee. This is the second publication by AGF on the Child Guarantee after it’s recommendations on “Nutrition” in December 2021. The recommendations are intended to contribute to the discussion on the planned national action plan for the implementation of…

  • AGF Statement on draft law on full day child care

    [21. 4. 2021] The family organizations united in the AGF welcome the draft law which proposes important steps that are to be taken in this legislative period to introduce a right to all-day care for children of primary school age. However, they criticize the lack of consideration of quality aspects in the draft law. In…

  • National and state AGFs jointly call for legal entitlement to high-quality all-day care at primary school age

    [10. 2. 2021] In a joint open letter, the Associations of German Family Organisationsat federal and state levels are calling for the introduction of a legal entitlement to all-day care for children of primary school age. They urge the federal and state governments to successfully conclude the negotiations currently taking place on such a legal…

  • Position Paper: Requirements for the quality of full day child care for children in elementary school age

    [23. 6. 2020] AGF has published a position paper on the quality of full day child care for children in elementary school age. In this aper AGF describes the requirements from the perspective of the families that are needed. At the same time AGF calls for the introduction of o right on full day child…

  • Position on draft law on the digitalisation of family benefits

    Unfortunately, this content is only available in German: Die Bundesregierung plant mit dem Entwurf eine rechtliche Anpassung der Rahmenbedingungen, die es ermöglichen soll, dass Bürgerinnen zukünftig zentrale Familienleistungen auf Wunsch vereinfacht und online beantragen können. Damit wird eine Forderung der Familienorganisationen aufgegriffen, die bereits langjährig darauf hinweisen, dass eine Entlastung des Familienlebens durch weniger Bürokratie…

  • AGF statement on draft law on child protection in a digital world

    [28. 2. 2020] In February 2020, the BMFSFJ presented a draft of a second law amending the Youth Protection Act, on which the AGF comments. At the centre of the draft law is the overdue adaptation of the statutory protection of children and young people from harmful media to the realities of an extraordinarily dynamic…

  • AGF-Discussion Paper “Digital Change and its  Impact on Families”

    [28. 11. 2019] The AGF has published a discussion paper on “Digital Change”. The paper reflects on the impact of digitalization for different areas of life from the point of view of families. It takes a lifecourse perspective to discuss the consequences of digitisation for children, adolescents, parents and the grandparent generation as well as the…

  • AGF Paper on Digitalisation and Care

    [26. 3. 2019] In context of its discussion process on digitalisation and family AGF had organised an expert meeting on digitalisation and care on 10 December 2018. In the aftermath AGF has produced a policy paper on the challenges of digitalisation and care which was presented to the federal council on the elderly. The paper…

  • Position on draft law on Reform of maternity law

    The revised maternity law now aims to include students and self-employed women and also aims to give more decision options to the pregnant and nursing women instead of a general employment ban. On this occasion, AGF recalls its statement on the draft law. The statement makes a differentiated approach on the challenge to balance the…

  • Position paper on high quality child care

    [7. 4. 2016] On occasion of the current debate on quality child care facilities AGF has published a position paper. The German family organisations aim for high quality child care facilities. Therefore in their position paper they suggest concrete criteria for quality standards. The English version of the position paper can be downloaded here Areas…

  • AGF positions regarding a family friendly economy

    [26. 5. 2015] The family organisations point out what changes are needed for a better reconciliation of work and family life, economic stability and social security for families. Working conditions are an important part of family policy, following a broad defintion. Work is often the central system in everyday family life and has deep effects…

  • AGF Comment on 3rd JAKO-O Education Study

    For the third time, after 2010 and 2012, the JAKO-O study on education attends to find reliable information about the attitudes of parents regarding the situation of school and education. In the current survey progressions and developments are reflected even better. Unfortunately it can also be recognized that since the first study many negative findings…

  • Comment on 2. Educational Study by JAKO-O

    [5. 9. 2012] This wednesday, JAKO-O intrdouced its second educational study. The results show the requirements which parents expect from the educational system and how they concern themselves with the education of their children. AGF has published a comment on the study. AGF Comment on the 2nd JAKO-O Education Study: Important Expectations of Parents concerning…

  • AGF-Statement on 8th Family Report

    [14. 5. 2012] The AGF has published a detailed statement on the 8th Family Report of the federal government. In its statement it supports the purpose of the report to establish the solution to family time conflicts as a social task, but criticises the unadequate family perspective. The German Family Organizations consider the recommendations of…

  • EU Consultation on Family Reunification

    [23. 2. 2012] Up until 1st March 2012, the EU Commission is running a public consultation on the right to family reunification of third-country nationals living in the EU. The AGF has published its statement today. The Consultation refers to the EU Directive on family reunification (Directive 2003/86/EG), adopted in 2003. The Directive defines the…

  • AGF takes position to Advanced Child Maintenance

    [17. 2. 2012] The recent draft law on simplifing bureaucracy of advanced child maintenance is critisised by the AGF. The planned changes will hardly lead to improvements for the children of single parents. Basic problems remain unsolved. The Federal Government will in future consider payments to third parties when advanced child maintenance is applied for.…

  • AGF Comment on the European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion

    [5. 4. 2011] The AGF appreciates the first concrete objective of the European Union to reduce the poverty figures in the EU. It considers the political announcements of the German Federal Government, nevertheless, to be insufficient and demands adequate measures against poverty and social exclusion. The AGF appreciates that the European Union has clearly committed…

Positions and Statements before 2011

Comment of AGF on 1. educational study of JAKO-O (in German)

Date: September 2010

Download of comment

Position Paper on the Fight against and the Prevention of Child Poverty in the European Union

Date: September 2009

In a process helped by the previous expert talks in 2008 in Berlin, a common position paper from the participating organisations, on the issue of child poverty developed out of the European conference in 2009.

Statement regarding the draft law for the change of the National child benefit law, 26.03.2008

Date: March 2008

Statement regarding the draft law for changing of the law on the protection of children and young people

Date: September 2007

Open letter: Expansion of the care of children less than 3 years of age

Date: May 2007

Statement regarding cut backs on maternal leave

Date: May 2005

Statement of opinion: Living Circumstances in Germany

Date: January 2005