The Substitute Grandparent Scheme in Denmark
A number of Danish municipalities have implemented a scheme enabling senior volunteers acting as substitute grandparents to take care of ill children when parents do not have the possibility to take time off from work. It aims both at relieving families and helping them with childcare in connection with illness, and at promoting active ageing and intergenerational solidarity. Similar initiatives are implemented by local non governemtal organisations in other regions of the European Union.
The Long-Term Care Insurance Act in Luxembourg
One of the objectives of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act 1998 in Luxembourg is to acknowledge the role informal carers and provide them with support and help. Specific measures in support of family carers encompass advisory services, payment of pension insurance contributions for those below 65, respite care and support for the adaptation of the house and technical aids. It has enabled a massive development of home-based care and help services, and family advice and support services.
EU toolkit “Partnerships for more familyfriendly living and working conditions”
In 2007, the European Union established the European Alliance for Families, i.e. a platform for exchanges and knowledge concerning family-friendly policies and best practices in the Member States, with a view to meeting the challenges of demographic change. Through the Alliance, the EU also intended to foster extensive cooperation and partnership between all stakeholders in order to achieve a better balancing of professional, family and private life, including the development of partnerships making use of new resources made available by the Structural Funds. The European Commission has published a toolkit on how to obtain support from the European Structural funds for local projects promoting family-friendly living and working environment.
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