Familiendialog.NRW

What moves families in everyday life?

Text last updated: 2026-02-12

North Rhine-Westphalia asks families: What does everyday life look like?

Who better to talk about the challenges families face in everyday life than the families themselves? For the new family report, the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees and Integration is actively talking to parents in North Rhine-Westphalia. Families from a wide variety of family types have their say. Find out more about the main topics and results.

Family life in NRW is colorful and diverse

Family Minister Verena Schäffer, Photo: MKJFGFI / B. Thissen

It is important to the Ministry of Family Affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia to talk to families in person. What motivates mothers and fathers in everyday life? What is life like with children in North Rhine-Westphalia? Where does the shoe pinch? What support would they like and what can politicians do better?

In order to find out, the Ministry is inviting people to an open dialog at various locations. The Minister for Family Affairs and the State Secretary will be making a personal visit. To ensure that all types of families can have their say, they are meeting single parents in Cologne, rainbow families in Münster and fathers in Düsseldorf, for example. On site, participants have the opportunity to discuss specific concerns directly with the Minister and representatives of the Ministry.

The family dialogues offer space for questions and new perspectives. They aim to make visible what moves families - and enable family policy measures to be further developed in a tailored and effective manner.

Impulses for the Family Report.NRW

The family dialogs are accompanied by the economic research company Prognos. All experiences, opinions, challenges and wishes of the participating families are recorded and evaluated by Prognos.

The results will be published in the Familienbericht.NRW, which will appear in the course of 2026.

What does the North Rhine-Westphalia Family Report say?

Family life in North Rhine-Westphalia is more colorful and diverse than ever before. Traditional role models are changing, new family forms are gaining in importance - and at the same time, parents and children are constantly mastering new tasks in times of social change, economic challenges and global crises.

In order to get a clear picture of how families in NRW live today and what moves them, the state government is compiling a comprehensive family report during the current legislative period. It shows the reality of life for families - in the city and in the countryside, with low or high incomes, with or without a history of migration - in a scientifically sound and everyday way.

It is particularly important that the Family Report not only aims to provide information, but also to shape the future. In addition to meaningful data, voices and perspectives from the nationwide family dialogues are also included. These make visible what strengthens families and what they need - and thus form the basis for a family policy that is modern and close to the reality of life.

Familiendialog.NRW: Dates and locations

The following family dialogs have already taken place. Information, a review and results can be found under the following links:

(March 29, 2025 in Cologne)

(May 8, 2025 in Münster)

(June 29, 2025 in Düsseldorf)

(September 20, 2025 in Düsseldorf)

Further family dialogs are already being planned. We will keep you up to date on current dates and locations here.

(February 25, 2026 in Düsseldorf)

(February 28, 2026 in Essen)