MMM participates in a EU research project combining family support and parenting policies

14.10.19

MMM is part of a new Pan-European Family Support Network. The main aim and objective of the Action is to build collaborative pathways between researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, children, families, public and private agencies and society in general. This will create the necessary framework to inform on family policies and practices, with the underlying goal of ensuring children’s rights and families’ well-being.

The project covers 35 European countries in the EU and beyond. It started in March 2019 and will have a duration of 4 years until March 2023.

There is a tendency for governments to focus more on Child Protection than on Family Protection policies.  However, research has shown that children from families that are accompanied and supported when needed, have lower school drop out rates, perform better academically, present less drug related problems, are less prone to depression, are able to stay with their families instead of  being placed elsewhere, etc.

Family is the context for development and well-being of the new generation, and parenting is a resource that must be supported. Europe needs a pan-European effort that provides high-impact research, based on a participatory model (voicing the opinions of a wide range of stakeholders) and informs on family policies and practices at a European level, taking into account the different realities that exist at national level.

The European Family Network aims to contribute to high quality training of  future generations of European researchers in the field of family support, with an evidence-based and pluralistic approach.

It will raise awareness among key European and international stakeholders in family support, by involving them in the Action and disseminating internationally with interactive tools.

For more information

Most read articles

Breaking the Cycle: Gender Equality as a Path to Better Mental Health

18.03.25

The Council of the European Union has taken a decisive step in recognising the vital connection between gender equality and mental health.

Lire plus

Europe Must Listen to Mothers: Our landmark report heads to the European Parliament

28.08.25

On 22 September 2025, the voices of mothers will take centre stage in Brussels. For the first time, Make Mothers Matter (MMM) will present its State of Motherhood in Europe

Lire plus

Belgian Mothers Face Alarming Rates of Burnout and Perinatal Depression, New EU Survey Finds

03.07.25

Belgian mothers are facing a mental health crisis. According to the State of Motherhood in Europe 2024 survey by Make Mothers Matter (MMM) and Kantar, Belgium reports the highest rates

Lire plus
See all the articlesof the category

News from the MMM European Delegation

Transforming Maternal Healthcare for Mothers with Disabilities
ASSIST Project National Information Day – Belgium

03.03.26

Make Mothers Matter organised an information event within the framework of the EU funded project Assist, dedicated to improving access, quality, and inclusivity of maternal healthcare for women with disabilitie

Read more

Protect the Ambition: MEPs Must Safeguard Funding for the EU Child Guarantee

09.12.25

MMM together with its partners of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, welcomes the recent vote by the European Parliament’s EMPL Committee, which firmly supports substantial and dedicated funding for t

Read more

She Does It All: The Devaluation of Caregiving in EU Work–Life Balance Policy

28.11.25

Across Europe, mothers carry out vast amounts of unpaid care work that keeps families and societies functioning—yet much of this labour remains largely invisible in EU policy. A new study shared with Make Mot

Read more

Democracy on Hold: The Hidden Penalty for Parliamentarians Who Become Mothers

27.11.25

The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution on the amendment of the European Electoral act, allowing Members to vote in plenary by proxy voting during pregnancy and after giving birth. The proposal

Read more

Recognising Mothers’ Realities: Key Wins in the New Gender Equality  Resolution

27.11.25

The European Parliament has adopted a new resolution calling on the European Commission to deliver an ambitious 2026–2030 Gender Equality Strategy, centred on concrete legislative and non-legislative actions

Read more

Berlin Hosts Closing Event of MothersCan – Care, Career, Change

17.11.25

The official closing event of the Erasmus+ project MothersCan took place at the historic Biesdorf Palace in Berlin. Hosted by Olga Gauks, Member of the Berlin House of Representatives, the event brought to

Read more