Unternehmen Familie - Impulses for Family Support Services

More than three quarters of the German population view their family as the center of their life. To ensure that they can always be there for one another, many families wish for support in handling their everyday tasks. Family support services offer the help these families need and make it easier for them to balance a career and family life. In addition, the market for family support services has significant growth and employment potential which needs to be tapped.

With this in mind, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, in cooperation with the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, supported the "Unternehmen Familie - Innovation through Family Support Services" program between 2007 and 2010. The Foundation provided support for 12 innovative business models for family support services at the municipal level. Private households were activated as both employers and market participants, and new jobs were created in the service sector as a result of moving domestic duties such as housekeeping, childcare, and nursing care into the marketplace.

"Unternehmen Familie - Innovation through Family Support Services" was a program by the Robert Bosch Stiftung which received funding from the German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth as well as the European Union/European Social Fund, and had a budget of 1.8 million euros. IFOK GmbH was hired to implement and coordinate the program.

The projects receiving funding were also provided professional support for their development and communications work throughout the entire funding period. This support was offered during regular informational and networking events, business plan coaching sessions, and through a network of senior experts.

After undergoing a thorough evaluation, the program wrapped up in the spring of 2011.

Publications

Final report

Findings and options for action

Guidelines

Establishment and development of family support services

Brochure of the most innovative ideas

Presenting the 24 nominees and 12 award-winning projects of "Unternehmen Familie" ("Operation Family")

Contact at the Foundation

Carolin Genkinger
Program Officer
Phone: +49 (0)711 46084-754

Supported by

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The twelve winning ideas were selected among 422 entries from all regions of Germany and will each receive grants worth up to 150,000 euros over three years.

The Winners and their Projects:
FamilyXperts GmbH i.G., Berlin
Institute for Site and Facility Management, Ahlen
Staufen Arbeits- und Beschäftigungsförderung gGmbH
QuaBeD Ennepe-Ruhr/Hagen gGmbH, Witten
Lohmen Local Authority, Lohmen
MW Malteser Werke gGmbH, Potsdam
Agentur Mary Poppins, Hannover
Frauenkommunikationszentrum, Herzogenrath
INA.KINDER.GARTEN GmbH, Berlin
Familiengenossenschaft, Mannheim

Award Ceremony in Berlin

Federal Family Affairs Minister Ursula von der Leyen honored the program's 12 best projects during a ceremony in Berlin.
Group photo of the winners