CA18123 - The European Family Support Network. A bottom-up, evidence-based and multidisciplinary approach (EuroFam-Net)

The best interest of children is placed at the forefront of social policies, giving the governments the responsibility to provide parent and family support. The recent crisis has placed parenting at a more difficult situation, accompanied by the existence of complex family realities that need new responses which require innovative approaches. Although recognised as central to a number of political priorities, at a European level the institutions have not yet addressed family support wholistically.

The Action proposes the creation of a Pan-European family support network, under which family support and parenting policies are included, combining both common goals across countries and the recognition of the specificities of cultural and families’ contexts.

This Action will build collaborative pathways between researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, children and families, public and private agencies, and general society to create the necessary framework that allows to inform family policies and practices with the underlying goal of ensuring children’s rights and families’ well-being. EuroFam-Net will: (1) Use a pluralistic and dialogic structure to co-create responses with all involved stakeholders in the field in close collaboration with the national policies; (2) Create an evidence-based framework that improves family support services, science and technology-driven policy and practice; (3) Use a multidisciplinary approach by gathering all the relevant scientific disciplines working in this field; (4) Disseminate research and  make use of advice mechanisms to the professional and political arena to innovate in family support services; (5) Avoid the duplication of services and promote inter-sectorial coordination, increasing the efficiency of available resources.