Family Dialogue.NRW

What matters to families in their daily lives?

Text last updated: 2026-06-25

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

Who better to talk about the challenges families face in everyday life than the families themselves? For its new family report, the Ministry for Children, Youth, Family, Equality, Refugees, and Integration is actively engaging with parents in North Rhine-Westphalia. The report gives a voice to families of all shapes and sizes. Learn more about the key topics and findings.

Family life in North Rhine-Westphalia is colorful and diverse

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

The Ministry of Family Affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia is committed to engaging in personal dialogue with families. What concerns do mothers and fathers have in their daily lives? What is it like to live with children in North Rhine-Westphalia? What are their main concerns? What kind of support do they want, and what can policymakers do better?

To find out, the ministry is hosting open dialogues at various locations. The Minister for Family Affairs and the State Secretary are personally traveling to these events. To ensure that all types of families have a voice, they will meet, for example, with single parents in Cologne, rainbow families in Münster, and fathers in Düsseldorf. At these events, participants will have the opportunity to discuss specific concerns directly with the Minister and representatives of the Ministry.

The family dialogues provide a space for questions and new perspectives. They aim to shed light on what matters to families—and enable the further development of family policy measures that are tailored and effective.

Ideas for the Family Report.NRW

The family dialogues are supported by the economic research firm Prognos. All of the participating families’ experiences, opinions, challenges, and wishes are recorded and analyzed by Prognos.

The results will be published in the Familienbericht.NRW, which is scheduled to be released in 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 gender roles are changing, new family structures are gaining prominence—and at the same time, parents and children are constantly tackling new challenges amid social change, economic challenges, and global crises.

To gain a clear picture of how families in North Rhine-Westphalia live today and what matters to them, the state government is compiling a comprehensive family report during the current legislative term. It depicts the reality of family life—in urban and rural areas, among families with low or high incomes, and with or without a migration background—in a scientifically sound and down-to-earth manner.

What’s particularly important here is that the Family Report aims not only to inform but also to shape the future. In addition to meaningful data, the report also incorporates voices and perspectives from the statewide family dialogues. These highlight what strengthens families and what they need—and thus form the basis for a family policy that is modern and grounded in the realities of daily life.

Family Dialogue.NRW: Dates and Locations

The following family dialogues have already taken place. You can find information, a recap, and results at the following links:

(February 28, 2026, in Essen)

(February 25, 2026, in Düsseldorf)

(September 20, 2025, in Düsseldorf)

(June 29, 2025, in Düsseldorf)

(May 8, 2025, in Münster)

(March 29, 2025, in Cologne)