Ministerial Conference on "Changes in parenting: children
today, parents tomorrow"
Lisbon, 16-17 May 2006
Ministers
responsible for Family Affairs met for the first time after the 2005 Summit
of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe. The Summit adopted
a Plan of Action laying down priorities for the Organisation’s work in the
years to come. Two points are particularly relevant for the topics covered by
this conference:
- The
rights of the child and the eradication of all forms of violence against
children
-
The
programme on the future of social cohesion, as the conference represented the
first major contribution to the review of the Council of Europe’s Strategy
for Social Cohesion.
During this conference Ministers agreed that governments should respond to
their own socio-demographic changes by adapting legislation to take account
of different family lifestyles. Although several concrete measures have been
implemented in member states, there is still some policy and legal vacuum,
particularly on consequences of the spread of new family forms (for instance,
on lone-parenting or duties towards children in reconstituted families). They
also recognised the fact that an appropriate and supportive family policy
taking into consideration the new family context could improve the
demographic and socio-economical situation. The provisions, to be effective,
should be supportive, permissive, and responsive to changing needs and
provided on a universal basis.
Parenting, though linked to family intimacy, should be then designated as a
domain of public policy and all the necessary measures should be adopted for
supporting parenting and creating the conditions necessary for positive
parenting.
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Ministers
responsible for Family Affairs met for the first time after the 2005 Summit
of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe. The Summit adopted
a Plan of Action laying down priorities for the Organisation’s work in the
years to come. Two points are particularly relevant for the topics covered by
this conference: