Providing targeted support to families. Germany has around eight million families with underaged children. These families are of vital importance to our society – the task of family policy is therefore to provide support that is as targeted as possible. Aims of family policy A family’s prerequisites have an effect on how they navigate their responsibilities in society. However, the needs and expectations of families are becoming increasingly diverse. Three central objectives for family policy are: the economic stability of families and their support in special circumstances, a successful reconciliation of family and work, and a promising upbringing for children. Childcare is a foundation for equal opportunities in later education and careers. To support families in their educational responsibilities and in the reconciliation of family and work, needs-based and high-quality care offers as well as a sufficient supply of skilled workers are required. When mothers and fathers are able to work and have time for care and family members, this has a positive effect on the family and all other family policy objectives. A partnership-based reconciliation of family and work effectively protects against the risks of poverty. A preventative social and family policy invests early, in an infrastructure-oriented way, in equal opportunities for children and their families. This includes monetary benefits such as child benefit, child allowance, and parental allowance, early help for the youngest, but also family education, family recreation, and family counselling. Companies as actors in family policy Employers have a key role: through a family-conscious personnel policy, they support the reconciliation of family and work – by offering flexible working hours, home office working, or a corporate culture that considers parents’ needs. This not only results in more satisfied employees, but also the provision of skilled workers and other positive economic effects. Children, Youth & Families: A selection of our services Data analytics By evaluating official statistics and representative data sets, we create a robust basis for political decisions. The Microcensus and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) are proven starting points for our analyses. Simulation of changes in the tax and transfer system With our microsimulation model, we present the economic effects of changes in the tax and transfer system on different family structures. Data collection We answer family policy questions using data collection. We conduct interviews with families, companies, youth welfare offices, and other family policy actors. Evaluations We evaluate different family policy benefits, federal and state programmes – using the quantitative and qualitative methods of empirical social research. Simulation of the development of skilled workers On the basis of our skilled-worker model, we show how the essential determinants of skilled labour supply and demand will develop in the medium term. Cost and return analyses We analyse financing models for the services of general interest in terms of their adequacy and calculate the costs and returns of innovations in the system. Our work on this topic Take a look at our latest projects and activities. Employers’ attractiveness according to parents and carers 2024 | Project Employees want tailor-made reconciliation measures that ensure work-life balance and not to face professional disadvantage as a result of their care work. These were the findings of our study for the BMFSFJ. Read more Evaluation of childcare services in NRW ongoing | Project On behalf of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry for Children- Refugees and Integration, Prognos evaluated the changes resulting from the amended Children's Education Act (KiBiz). Read more The invisible value of care work 2024 | Expertise 72 billion hours: That is how many unpaid care work hours are performed in Germany, annually, by women. In a new paper, we show the value of unpaid care work and how unevenly it is dis-tributed between men and women. Read more Christian Böllhoff on the parental allowance debate 2023 | Company news Family policy in the spotlight: “We do not need short-winded politics that disrupt and divide,” writes head of Prognos in his SPIEGEL guest article. Read more Evaluation of the infant nutrition preventive programme ongoing | Project For the Association of Private Health Insurance, Prognos supports and evaluates the develop-ment of the “Early happiness: Discovering nutrition together” programme. Read more Success Factor Family ongoing | Project With the “Success Factor Family” business programme, the BMFSFJ, together with the leading associations of the German economy and the DGB, is committed to a family-conscious work-place. Read more Inflation – extra burden and relief for family households 2022 | Project Calculations on inflation-related additional private household expenditure and the work of the Federal Government's relief package. Read more Full-day care for primary school children: where the federal states currently stand ongoing | Project Germany needs at least 271,000 additional all-day places for primary school children by the 2026/2027 school year. We are examining how this can be achieved for the Ministry for Family Affairs. Read more No generational conflict: Young and old are primarily looking for security. 2022 | Project Study compares “boomers” and Generation Z: high need for security for young and old alike. Read more Learning from the Corona crisis 2021 | Project Experiences and new impulses for company reconciliation policy. Read more The situation of single or separated parents 2021 | Project The 43rd Family Research Monitor presents new figures, facts and study results on the situation of single and separated parents in Germany. Read more Services for families in Germany 2021 | Project Family education and family counselling facilities in Germany have a wide reach and support people in different social situations. This is shown in a study for the BMFSFJ. Read more ZDF Germany Study 2019 2019 | Project On behalf of ZDF, we examined the external living conditions for families and senior citizens in Germany's 401 districts and independent cities. Read more Care Perspective. Reorientation of the elderly care profession 2019 | Project The annual expenditure of social long-term care insurance will continue to increase in the coming decades according to the results of a Prognos study for the Bertelsmann Foundation. Read more Society 5.0 2018 | Project Implications of digitalisation for areas of life like work, health and mobility – that is the topic of “Society 5.0,” the short study carried out by Capgemini and Prognos. Read more ZDF Germany Study 2018 2018 | Project Where is the best place to live in Germany? Prognos investigated this question on behalf of ZDFzeit. Read more Learning from the world: handling of cultural diversity 2018 | Project How can living together in cultural diversity succeed? On the occasion of the award of the Reinhard Mohn Prize 2018, Prognos was commissioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung to conduct international good-practice research on this question. Read more Competence Office for Effective Family Policy 2023 | Project Together with the Allensbach Institute, Prognos formed the Competence Office for Effective Family Policy. The Competence Office worked on behalf of the BMFSFJ, conducting research and advising on current issues of family policy. Read more Future Family Report 2030 2016 | Project This expert report looks at various scenarios. It shows that continued development of family policy has a positive impact on the economy as a whole. Read more Pension Perspectives 2040 2015 | Project How high the pensions will be for a typical employee depends, among other things, on the occupation and the place of residence. This is the result of recent research by Prognos for GDV. Read more Cost-benefit analysis of family-friendly corporate policy 2010 | Project The model calculation for selected Swiss companies shows that the immediate positive effects of a family-friendly personnel policy outweigh the costs. Read more Do you have questions? Your contact at Prognos Dr David Juncke Partner, Head of Family Policy View profile Dr Dagmar Weßler-Poßberg Partner, Head of Social Policy View profile About us Prognos – Providing Orientation. Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound. Learn more