Six new Flash Reports prepared by the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) are now available and provide information on recent social policy developments in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta and Portugal in the field of family/child policy and long-term care.

• Too often gender equity is seen as a women’s issue, with most policy initiatives focusing on how to safeguard women’s rights. The paternal benefit that was introduced in Cyprus in 2017 aims to protect fathers’ rights, but benefits mothers too.
• In the Czech Republic, the “long-term caregiver’s allowance” (dlouhodobé ošetřovné) was introduced on 1 June 2018. It is expected to improve the financial situation of family members providing long-term care for their relatives, and improve the labour and social position of employed women.
• In April 2018, the Czech Parliament adopted, in the first reading, a proposal to abolish the “guarantee of childcare” for 2-year old children that was legislated in 2016. The current employment rate of women aged 20-49 with children aged 0-6 years is considerably lower than that for those without children due to a lack of adequate childcare facilities. Although the EU has flagged this issue in several Country-Specific Recommendations for the Czech Republic, ongoing legislative and public debates indicate firm support for abolishing the guarantee of childcare.
• In Hungary, the family support system has been expanded to boost population growth. Several recent measures support better-off families, while provisions for poor families have remained unchanged or are provided in kind. The current system has also led to gender-related concerns.
• New assistance to Maltese nationals adopting a child from abroad has been put in place. Maltese wanting to adopt children from outside Malta hitherto had to bear heavy financial expenses in order to complete the procedures. Through this measure, they are now supported by the state.
• Informal carers in Portugal are currently insufficiently supported by the state. However, the various policy developments that started in 2016 could improve their social protection, taking advantage of the current political consensus. Although their final scope is still unclear, the support measures currently underway are designed to provide a framework and should profoundly change the situation of informal carers.