Family, Generations and Society Domain
The Family, Generations and Society Domain deals with social policy and socio-political issues against a backdrop of social, economic and demographic developments. It is responsible at federal level for the following policy areas: children and youth, family, old-age as well as social policy issues. In its work, the domain focuses particularly on intergenerational relations. Given that for the enumerated areas the main responsibility lays with the cantons and municipalities, FGS seeks to cooperate with them as well as with non-governmental organizations active in this area, and it promotes the networking of the various actors involved.
The domain works together with the secretariats of the Federal Commission of Child and Youth Affairs (CCYA) and the Federal Coordinating Committee for Family Affairs (CCFA), which form an administrative part of the domain.
Head of the domain: Astrid Wüthrich, Vice director
Section for Family Affairs
- Specialist department for issues relating to family policy at the federal level.
- Monitors the Federal Law on Family Allowances and the Federal Law on Family Allowances in Agriculture.
- Subsidises national umbrella organizations through service level agreements.
Head of section: Monica Sethi Waeber
Unit for Financial Assistance for Childcare
- Implementation of the Federal Law on Financial Assistance for complementary Childcare (initial funding).
Head of unit: Mara Kaya
Childhood and Youth Affairs Section
- Dealing with issues relating to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and encourages its implementation in Switzerland.
- Coordination and information on child protection activities. Funding of abuse prevention projects and Publishing of an online "Child Protection" address register with information on the various public and private assistance and advisory services that combat child abuse.
- Based on the Federal law on the Promotion of extracurricular Youth Welfare, the section grants financial assistance to organisations working in this area; it also helps fund the training of youth workers and individual projects.
- Focal point for delegates to the conference of cantonal child and youth workers.
- Mandates and escorts the organisation of the annual Federal Youth Session.
- Represents Swiss youth policy in international fora.
Heads of section: Sabine Scheiben / Martina Beeler
Section for Old-Age, Generations and Society
- The domain grants subsidies for elderly assistance pursuant to the federal law on old-age and survivors' insurance (subsidising elderly assistance and domiciliary care until the entry into force of new financial equalisation measures and service contracts with national organisations of elderly assistance).
- Analysis of trends in intergenerational relations both in family and society.
- Analysis of and dealing with general sociopolitical issues, as well as laying the necessary foundations.
- The section traces the changes of society in Switzerland and in the EU in terms of its relevance for Switzerland and therefore draws up a documentation.
- Regular provision of internal and external information on current developments in all fields or interest of FGS.
Head of section: Thomas Vollmer
Extraparliamentary commissions
Secretariat: the FGS domain takes stock of the administrative and conceptual work of the Federal Coordinating Committee for Family Affairs (CCFA) and of the Federal Commission of child and Youth Affairs (CCYA).
Further information
