Reconciling family and employment for socially disadvantaged families

Reconciling family and work is often not easy. If socially disadvantaged people are affected, it often becomes even more complex. The a:primo association investigated these problems as part of a project commissioned by the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO).
The study Compatibility of family and employment in the context of social disadvantage shows the challenges that families face in terms of social and professional integration as well as the compatibility of family and employment.
Social disadvantage is an accumulation of unfavourable conditions. Socially disadvantaged families include, for example, families with a history of drugs or violence, a low level of education, poor language skills or insufficient income. Among other things, the study focusses on child welfare, which is often neglected in such families.
Children from troubled families are more often in unfavourable care situations than children from unstressed families. The problem is that in families in stressful situations, children are cared for within the family for cost reasons, even if the time and physical resources are not available, which can prevent the child from developing normally.
The study concludes:
"Overall, it has been shown that the social framework conditions make it difficult to reconcile family and employment. Sufficiently long parental leave would make it easier for children to settle into the family and build a secure bond with their close carers. Socially disadvantaged families in particular could establish a sustainable childcare solution for their children in the first phase after the birth. For this to be possible, access to good quality and affordable childcare services is needed in addition to longer parental leave."
But even if the conclusion is hardly surprising, there is still a lot to do. One of the aims of the a:primo publication is to give these socially disadvantaged families a voice and provide information about their circumstances. The data can also be used to identify areas of action in which municipalities can already make a contribution to facilitating reconciliation. It also identifies opportunities for long-term adjustments to the framework conditions to reflect today's reality, which would make it easier for all families - but especially for socially disadvantaged families - to reconcile work and family life.
More information on the study and special early support programmes can be found at www.aprimo.ch

The a:primo association

For more than ten years, the a:primo association has been committed to the concerns of socially disadvantaged families with children aged between one and six throughout Switzerland. Its aim is to provide non-profit and sustainable support for the early development of socially disadvantaged children of pre-school age with programmes such as schritt:weise, petits:pas and ping:pong.
On the next page, you can read a report from a socially disadvantaged family from this study, which was accompanied by the a:primo association's early intervention programme schritt:weise.

Insight into a schritt:weise family

35-year-old Serhat (all names changed) moved to Switzerland five years ago. His wife Zera and his now four-year-old son Besim stayed behind in a Syrian-Kurdish village in the centre of the embattled region. Two years ago, Serhat was able to bring his wife and Besim to Switzerland thanks to family reunification. Serhat works on call as a kitchen assistant on an hourly basis. He is unable to support himself with his income. The family with asylum status is therefore supported by an aid organisation.
Serhat has little free time apart from work. But he knows a few compatriots with whom he sometimes
with sometimes. Zera, on the other hand, has hardly any friends here. She feels very lonely in her small flat in the urban centre, which is rather spartanly furnished except for a television. The German course organised by the aid organisation enables her to get out at least a few hours a week. The woman, who is actually spirited, is helpless and lost. The German teacher was worried about Zera and her young son and recommended schritt:weise to her.
The schritt:weise coordinator still remembers the first meeting with Zera and Besim. She has never seen such a sad little child. Besim has lived through the war. It's written all over his face. He couldn't get involved in any games, was restless and constantly hit his mum.
Zera wasn't doing well either. She was together with her family in Syria. The whole family looked after the little one. In Switzerland, completely isolated, she was solely responsible for Besim for the first time. She didn't know how to deal with it. The situation overwhelmed her. Serhat was constantly at work. At home, he was only involved to a limited extent. What's more, father and son hardly knew each other because Serhat had fled the war zone before Besim was born.
Besim was neglected. He spent his days in front of the television or on his mobile phone. The coordinator considered making a risk report. Fortunately, a good solution was found beforehand. Thanks to her network, the coordinator was able to organise a subsidised emergency daycare place for Besim. At the same time, the coordinator and the home visitor supported Zera in building a bond with her son.
After just a short time, an incredible transformation took place. Besim's destructive behaviour due to neglect subsided. The social contact did him good and he became much happier. Zera was able to engage with Besim and paid more attention to him.
Zera noticed the positive changes in her son. She gained trust in the home visitor and the coordinator. When the thick letter from the kindergarten arrived in her letterbox, she asked the home visitor for help for the very first time. Previously, she had been ashamed to claim that she understood everything.
It was a huge step for Zera. She didn't understand how Switzerland and the kindergarten worked. She was overwhelmed by all the information, but she didn't want to be embarrassed. Zera was made aware by the home visitor that you can always ask questions in Switzerland and how important it is to do so.
Besim now attends daycare three days a week, goes to speech therapy and will start kindergarten in the summer. The coordinator is confident that he will catch up on his developmental delays. He is a clever little boy. In the meantime, Besim has been given a brother who has a better chance of getting off to a good start.

Source: This report is based on data collected by a:primo as part of a project commissioned by the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO). The project is funded by the FSIO's «Financial aid as part of the credit for umbrella organisations for family organisations» and enables a:primo to investigate the compatibility of family and employment in the case of social disadvantage in more detail.