Family policy
Family policy in the Netherlands is characterized by:
- Recognition of the best interest of the child
- Support for the family and development of parenting skills
The Ministry for Youth and Families will be focussing more at family policy during the coming years. These are activities that will be implemented:
- Present a bill introducing a means-tested allowance for children as of 2009. In the meantime, in 2008, each household will receive a fixed allowance not based on the number of children.
- Introduce a parenting plan and measures to alleviate the effects of divorce on children.
- Explore supplementary incomes policy/child-related schemes, such as abolishing the job-search requirement for sole-parent benefit claimants with children aged up to five, and introducing an allowance for single-earner households with a chronically sick or disabled child or foster child.
- Provide accessible, locally available advice on parenting (through the Youth and Families Centres).
- Extend statutory parental leave for all employees from 13 to 26 weeks.
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