Family support in Europe: theory, policy and practice

This special issue, Family Support in Europe: Theory, Policy and Practice, brings together contributions from the European Family Support Network (EurofamNet), a bottom-up and multidisciplinary initiative that connects researchers, practitioners, policymakers, children and family representatives across Europe to strengthen evidence-informed family support. Building on EurofamNet's collaborative work, the collection examines development on key challenges currently shaping the field, such as mapping policies and provision at national and EU levels, developing shared conceptual frameworks, promoting quality standards and evidence-based programmes and tools, identifying the core competencies of the family support workforce, and improving the dissemination of knowledge to bridge research, policy and practice. Across the papers, common trends and contextual differences emerge in how family support is conceptualised, implemented and evaluated. The studies highlight persistent gaps between policy aspirations and practice realities, and together offer valuable insights into the ongoing efforts to enhance quality, responsiveness and inclusiveness in family support across Europe. Taken together, these contributions outline a vision of family support that is collaborative, grounded in evidence, and committed to social justice. They also show that advancing this vision requires both local responsiveness and European cooperation, an ongoing dialogue that EurofamNet continues to foster in its mission to inform family support policy and practice across Europe.