A guide for all family issues

Is there tax relief for parents? Where do I apply for maternity benefit? How do I find a place in a crèche? How can I return to work? Where can I find support if my partner has left me? How do I protect my child from abuse? How can they get the best possible education - and who can advise mums and dads on parenting issues, when they are overwhelmed or have mental health problems?

Answers, advice and contact addresses can be found on the website www.familienwegweiser.ch. This platform, initiated by Pro Familia Switzerland, can be a valuable companion for parents and children for many years. The spectrum of topics ranges from marriage to divorce, from single-parent to rainbow to patchwork families, from adoption to education allowances and from midwives to homework. Further links and app recommendations round off the counselling service.

The clear organisation by keyword and subject area as well as a full-text search function make the site user-friendly. All content is also available in French and Italian so that as many Swiss people as possible can access the bundled information.

Updated and reviewed twice a year

The family guide, which is based on an enormous amount of research, has been around since the end of 2014 and a completely revised version has now been online for a few weeks. When asked what is better since the relaunch, Head of Communications Nadja Schmid replies: «A lawyer has completely revised the content and brought it up to date.» Previously, the family guide was a subpage of Pro Familia and hard to find, but now it is independent. The content is updated and reviewed twice a year. The design and improved handling are also new, explains Schmid.

Judging by the number of clicks, the topics of work and family, counselling for mothers and fathers and financial support for families are of particular interest.
Because compatibility is so important for many users, Pro Familia has also developed the so-called Family Score. This allows employees to rate the family-friendliness of their employer: www.familyscore.ch

Since the relaunch at the beginning of May, the advice website has been accessed around 3100 times. According to Schmid, the feedback has been extremely positive, especially from Pro Familia members, cantons and advice centres.

The family guide not only shows the way, it also shortens it in many cases: by bundling the most important information and helpful links, it saves parents a lot of searching - and possibly also trouble, because they don't run the risk of ending up with dubious or even dubious counsellors.

An example...

Under the keyword babysitter , parents learn that for legal reasons a babysitter should be at least 13 years old and must be registered with the AHV compensation fund from the age of 17. In any case, parents must take out accident insurance for a babysitter. Mums and dads can find young people to look after their children at the Swiss Red Cross or Profawo, for example. There are also links to websites with tips for parents and babysitters, including checklists on what needs to be clarified before babysitting and what parents can expect from a babysitter.
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