The Local Government PRO FAMILIA 2021 competition recognised the family-oriented activities carried out by local authorities. 236 communes decided to participate in the competition, they presented their achievements and shared their plans for the future. Through the competition, the Ministry of Family wants to inspire local governments to take initiatives for all families.

- If the family policy is to be effective, the government needs to cooperate with communes and non-governmental organisations. Today, we awarded local governments which realise how important the family is and create the best living conditions for it. I would like to warmly congratulate the winners and I hope that further joint actions aimed at raising the importance of the family in our country will be taken – said the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg, and added – It is important for local authorities to distinguish between the family-oriented and social policy in their actions. It is crucial for us to work together to improve the welfare of all families, not just to support those in crisis.

The best places to live for families in Poland

5 communes won the Local Government PRO FAMILIA 2021 competition. In addition, 3 awards of the Minister of Family and Social Policy and 2 special awards of the jury were granted.

RURAL COMMUNE:

Miejsce Piastowe (Podkarpackie Voivodeship) – the winner in the category of rural communes. Here, large families make use of the Urban Large Family Card 3+. Welcome packages are waiting for new residents of the commune. An important element of the family policy is the construction of flats for young married couples, as part of the Housing+ programme, as well as the functioning of 3 communal nurseries. The commune develops recreational areas for families, by building modern playgrounds, parking lot for campers, tourist and cycling paths. On the other hand, the urban Kluboteka offers many various and multigenerational activities for families.

RURAL-URBAN COMMUNE:

Pleszew (Wielkopolskie Voivodeship) – against a background of others, the city stands out thanks to its way of thinking and acting in pursuing the housing policy. The possibility of renting flats with a purchase option has been introduced. Thanks to the financing mechanism in place, non-creditworthy families can also make use of this offer. In the commune, there is also the “Flat in exchange for renovation” programme, which allows to deduce the costs of renovation of a flat included in the housing resources of the city from the costs of rent. In special situations, families receive a council flat on preferential terms. On the other hand, the local Large Family Card can also be granted to parents in large families where children are already independent. Thanks to this, families can use, e.g. free parking places, for example.

URBAN COMMUNE with up to 20 thousand residents:

Boguszów-Gorce (Dolnośląskie Voivodeship) – family-oriented activities of the commune are focused on the availability of care services: increased number of places in nurseries as well as free kindergartens. The commune offers children a range of free activities, including art, cultural and sports activities. Family-oriented issues have been included in the city’s development strategy by writing in the part regarding the priorities: “The determinant of attractiveness of residence, especially for young people, is also the development of housing which can stimulate the improvement in demographic indicators and potentially the willingness to start a family”.

URBAN COMMUNE with 20-100 thousand residents:

Otwock (Mazowieckie Voivodeship) – in this commune located near Warsaw more children have been born in recent years than in neighbouring communes. In its family-oriented policy, it includes all families, not only large families or those in need of support. In addition to discounts in government and commercial institutions, the Otwock Large Family Card offers discounts on the municipal waste management fee. The commune of Otwock also supports active spending of free time by families, for example, in rental shops, in addition to bikes for adults, there are also bikes for children and cargo bikes – which enable travelling even with four children. The city beach is also of family nature.

URBAN COMMUNE with more than 100 thousand residents:

Katowice (Śląskie Voivodeship) – this is the winner among the largest communes. The capital of Upper Silesia strongly supports the creation of new nurseries, kindergartens and swimming pool networks. In the city, there is the Katowice Resident Card, allowing to use discounts in local entrepreneurs. In 2021, a number of events and trips integrating families are planned. They include, inter alia, the Local Zone of Parents and Children, educational trips, picnics, a cycle of physical activities for mums with children aged 6 weeks-1.5 years, or a monthly integration course for pre-school children. Katowice offers not only attractions for families, but also activities dedicated specially to parents. Parents have their Community Club. In turn, the Guardian Club organises meetings on healthy eating, and in the Active Women Club it is possible to practice sewing or handicrafts skills.

AWARDS OF THE MINISTER OF FAMILY AND SOCIAL POLICY:

Sędziszów Małopolski (Podkarpackie Voivodeship) – successfully pursues a policy of good climate for families, while keeping in mind the potentially effective inclusive policy for these families, which should be given a helping hand. Thus, at the initiative of the commune, the “Sa-Mo-War Sędziszowski Family Support Model” has been developed, the priority of which is social inclusion. Within its framework, an individual development path has been developed for children from families covered by the programme. Sędziszów also has the local Large Family Card.

Grodzisk Mazowiecki (Mazowieckie Voivodeship) – this is the city which, as one of the first cities, introduced the local Large Family Card as early as in 2009. From the beginning, it offered real support to families with three or more children, through various discounts in local government institutions and private companies. The commune’s commitment to families is confirmed by international organisations: the title of “Family-friendly local government” has been awarded by ELFAC – European Large Families Confederation. Grodzisk also participated in the “Children-friendly city” programme organised by UNICEF. For many years, in the commune of Grodzisk Mazowiecki the birth rate is higher than in the neighbouring communes and in recent years its internal migration rate has also been more positive than that of the communes from the same district.

Gdynia (Pomorskie Voivodeship) – innovative family-oriented activities are conducted here by the Family Policy Department established in 2019. Its specialists recognise the current needs of parents and children and try to satisfy them. They are efficient in it. The city implements the “Family Gdynia” and “Family Gdynia Plus (3+)” projects. Families with more than two children can use public transport free of charge. Gdynia also has a network of parents’ clubs, and non-profit organisations can obtain grants for family projects concerning sport, culture and recreation.

SPECIAL AWARDS OF THE JURY:

Kępice (Pomorskie Voivodeship) – the commune introduced the “Family Kępice” Card, which gives families with three or more children the right to make use of local discounts. The activities to integrate generations, organised by the library, enjoy great popularity. The Family Initiative Centre as well as the Local Knowledge and Education Centre conduct their buoyant activities in the city. The mayor welcomes every citizen with a letter and a baby suit with the city logo. In the “Park of Generations”, parents plant trees when their children are born. The commune pays close attention to the problems of persons with disabilities – it appointed a representative for these tasks.

Nysa (Opolskie Voivodeship) – is the pioneer of cash benefits for parents with children. It started paying such a benefit in 2016 – before launching the national government programme. Families with children below 3 receive a benefit provided that one of the parents works. In the case of families with children aged 4-6, the prerequisite is that both parents have to work.

The rules of the competition

The competition was held in three stages. At the first stage, the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, on the basis of completed applications, created in each category the classification of 10 local governments with the highest score. In the survey, the communes answered the questions on, inter alia, budget expenditure on the family policy, use of government programmes addressed to families, or entitlements and scholarships granted by themselves. In the second phase of the competition, the specially appointed jury verified the surveys with the highest score, analysed the descriptions of long-term strategies of actions for families and selected three finalists in each category. The winners were selected by the Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg, in agreement with the Government Plenipotentiary for Demographic Policy, Barbara Socha. In accordance with the regulations of the competition, the Minister of Family granted 3 awards and approved the application of the jury for granting 2 special awards.