PdF on families

The PdF calls for a parental leave model for self-employed people with a legal entitlement. In its view they are currently disadvantaged compared with employees because they often cannot afford time off work.

Self-employed people have no right to parental leave so far. The PdF wants to change that. They should also get a legal right. This should help them combine family and work.

The platform justifies the demand with equal opportunity between self-employed people and employees. The model is meant to be flexible and to take personal and financial circumstances into account. Self-employed people should be able to plan their parental leave themselves without putting their livelihood at risk.

The PdF wants to invest in daycare centers and home-based childcare and create more places. Childcare is to become more flexible so that family and work fit together better, especially for shift workers and single parents.

The PdF wants more places in daycare. There should be more staff per child. Daycare should be open longer and more flexibly. This helps parents who work shifts. It also helps single parents.

According to the platform, about 270,000 places for children under three were missing in 2022. On average nationwide, one staff member cares for 3.9 toddlers, while three is the goal. Funding programs are meant to improve this ratio. Municipalities and providers would get incentives for new childcare models. Digital booking systems are meant to make open places more visible.

The PdF wants to adjust Elterngeld (parental allowance) continuously to inflation and give parents more leeway to draw it at the same time. Kindergeld (child benefit) would be paid automatically without an application to spare families paperwork.

The PdF wants to change the parental allowance. It should rise when prices rise. Both parents should be able to get it at the same time for longer. Child benefit should come on its own. Parents would no longer need to apply.

The rule that both parents may draw basic Elterngeld at the same time for only one month would be dropped. A new calculation basis is meant to help young families in particular. For Kindergeld, an automatic process would build on the tax ID. Hospitals would report births to the authorities, which would then start the payments.

The PdF wants to introduce flexible working-time models so that both parents can combine work and family on equal terms. Paid work and care work are to be shared more fairly, and conventional gender roles broken up.

The PdF wants flexible working hours for parents. Both parents should be able to work and care for children. Companies with good offers for families should get support. Parents should return to work more easily. There should be more part-time training for this.

As an example, the platform cites part-time arrangements that couples share as partners. Employers offering family-friendly hours and remote work would get more support. Part-time vocational training and tailored continuing education would be expanded. This is meant above all to ease the return to work after parental leave, which the platform says is especially hard for women.

The PdF wants family policy measures reviewed regularly by independent experts and a joint body of the federal government, the states and municipalities. The platform argues that differing standards and priorities across these levels make consistent implementation difficult.

The PdF wants regular checks of family policy. Independent experts should do the checks. The federal government, the states and the towns should meet in one group. That way the same rules should apply everywhere.

Independent experts would systematically assess how well family policy tools work so they can be adapted to current needs. A coordinating body spanning all three levels of government would ensure uniform standards and allow quick responses to social change. The platform also calls for flexible funding programs that reflect the different circumstances families live in. New family models and new forms of childcare would get dedicated programs.

The PdF considers existing protection structures for children inadequate. It wants uniform procedures for detecting violence, more shelters, better networking among agencies and long-term therapy services.

The PdF wants to protect children better from violence. Schools, daycare centers and doctors should spot violence earlier. There should be more safe places for children. Agencies should work together better. Affected children should get help for a long time.

Teachers, daycare staff and medical personnel should be able to spot signs of violence or neglect early. Specialized child protection facilities and emergency shelters should be expanded, adequately funded and staffed with qualified people. A digital system should link youth welfare offices, schools, police and health services and document measures so that at-risk cases are handled faster. Counseling for affected children and their families should grow, and specialists should provide psychological support over a longer period.

The PdF opposes an immediate legal entitlement to all-day care starting at elementary school age. It points to staff shortages, costs for municipalities and risks to quality. Funding, skilled staff and standards should be secured first.

The PdF does not want a quick legal right to all-day care. A legal right means parents can demand a place. The PdF says staff and money are missing. First there should be more trained staff and good facilities.

The platform names four risks: the shortage of care staff, the financial burden on municipalities, resources being tied up that are needed elsewhere, and lower quality along with less family time. Not all families need or want all-day care, it says. In the long run the PdF relies on investment in staff training, high-quality facilities and services that adapt flexibly to families' circumstances.