Minister Verena Schäffer: Strong Families, Strong Children

Verena Schäffer: When I look at family policy in North Rhine-Westphalia, I see many opportunities to support families and a lot that we can build on. We have created structures that provide families with guidance. Online, the family portal offers a wide range of information on family life at various stages of life. Locally, family education centers, family centers, and family counseling centers offer services that support families in their daily lives. At the same time, we focus on programs that directly reach families across the state. Through the “Family Time” program, we enable low-income families to take a break from their daily routines.

It is very important to me that benefits to which families are entitled actually reach them. For example, the benefits of the Education and Participation Package. They address exactly where low-income families need support: school trips, tutoring, and even shared lunches at school and daycare are covered by these benefits. It is important to me to continue working together with local governments to ensure that these benefits reach as many children and young people as possible and that the administrative burden is reduced for everyone.

Parents and families do an enormous amount every day—in a wide variety of life situations and family structures. Family life has changed significantly in recent years. Many face significant time, financial, and organizational pressures. At the same time, global crises are affecting the daily lives of many families. That is why equal opportunity is of central importance to me: Every child should have a good start in life—regardless of their background or their family’s income. To achieve this, we need early, tailored support and reliable structures that provide extra support where the need is greatest. You can find these resources here on the family portal.

It is just as important to consistently take family diversity into account: single-parent families, blended and rainbow families, foster and adoptive families, families with multiple children, and families with an immigrant background. Services must be non-discriminatory, understandable, and truly accessible to everyone. And it is important to me that balancing family and work becomes noticeably easier. Families need time, predictability, and relief through reliable child care, flexible solutions in the workplace, and a culture where caregiving and paid work go hand in hand. My goal is this: Family policy must prove its worth in everyday life—by being reliable, easily accessible, and providing tangible relief.

The Familienportal.NRW is a real help to me in my everyday family life. Precisely because there are countless sources and channels of information today, it’s all the more important to get reliable and well-verified information from official sources—and that’s exactly what the portal offers people in North Rhine-Westphalia: everything they need on a single platform. Whether it’s financial benefits, counseling services, or everyday questions: the information is presented clearly, is up-to-date, and is easy to find. I think it’s especially important that families can learn on Familienportal.NRW what benefits are available to them, what they’re entitled to, and how they can apply online. This provides guidance, offers peace of mind, and makes life easier for families.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have also played a major role in my own family. My impression during this time was that children and young people were not being heard enough. That is why, during the pandemic, I became increasingly determined to take on more responsibility in politics and to advocate for children and young people—and for all families. This is also what drives me as Minister of Family Affairs for the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Part of this involves improving the work-life balance for parents—especially women. Because strong families make children strong.