In its inaugural year, the CARE4CARE project has made significant steps in addressing the pressing issues affecting care workers across the European Union. Launched on January 1, 2023, the project responded to the urgent call for improved working conditions for care workers, as highlighted by President von der Leyen during her State of the Union speech in September 2021.
A Horizon Europe project, CARE4CARE is set to investigate the working conditions and perceptions of care workers in six EU Member States: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. The project’s overarching goal is to develop effective tools for enhancing job quality and combatting discrimination within the care sector.
Coordinated by the University of Florence, CARE4CARE comprises a consortium of 10 partners, encompassing prestigious universities from all across Europe: Lund University, Universitat de Girona, Universidad de Sevilla, Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt-Oder, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski, Université de Bordeaux. The consortium also comprises of two EU-wide sectoral stakeholders, the European Federation for Family and Employment (EFFE) and the European Federation for Services to individuals (EFSI) as well as the organisation representing Tuscan universities in Brussels, TOUR4EU.
This diverse consortium brings together expertise to explore vulnerabilities, raise awareness among care workers and trade unions, and contribute to legislative and policy proposals at both national and EU levels.
A critical component for the first year of CARE4CARE has been the thorough collaboration between Lund University and the University of Girona, which delved into legal technicalities of the care sector across the participating countries. This research paved the way for the creation of a comprehensive questionnaire designed to engage trade unions at the national and EU levels. Workshops in March and April 2024 will facilitate these engagements, marking a crucial step towards the achievement of the project’s deliverables and objectives.
CARE4CARE recently convened in Barcelona for its General Meeting, building on the progress made in its first year. As discussions around improving care workers’ labour conditions gained momentum, the project is poised to make lasting contributions to the welfare and rights of care workers in the European Union.
Stay tuned for further updates as CARE4CARE continues its journey toward positive change in the care sector! Sign up to our newsletter at care4care.net/newsletter and follow us on all social media! We are on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and LinkedIn.