The “green flag” distinction was awarded this year to 108 municipalities, 13 more than the previous year, for developing family-friendly policies, the Observatory of Family Responsible Local Authorities (OAFR) announced today.
According to the Observatory, created in 2008 by the Portuguese Association of Large Families, 15 municipalities responded to the survey of the 149th edition of the “green flag” initiative of “Autarquia + Familiarmente Responsável”, the highest participation ever, although they represent only 48% of 308 national municipalities.
This year, 108 municipalities were distinguished, representing more than five million people, compared to 95 of these municipalities last year.
To award this year's award, data reported by municipalities in 2022 were evaluated in areas such as support provided for maternity and paternity, support for families with special needs, measures to reconcile work and family, basic services, education, housing, transport , health, culture, sport and free time, and social participation.
The Observatory highlighted that the overwhelming majority (97%) of participating chambers support people in situations of social fragility, particularly in the areas of housing and health.
Housing support for families with special needs “occupies the top of the concerns of national authorities, with 131 authorities supporting the recovery of degraded housing, 123 authorities financing construction services and small repairs, and 101 authorities monitoring and supporting the housing mobility”, highlighted the OAFR.
The Observatory highlighted the case of Torres Vedras, which since 2003 has financed a program to reimburse works in degraded housing, and Cascais, which has a database with dwellings in a situation of over-occupation or under-occupancy, to adapt, whenever possible, housing to household size.
In the health dimension, in 147 of these municipalities there are measures to promote active aging and 78 of them have measures to support oral health.
In the area of support for maternity and paternity, 54% of the municipalities that participated in the survey have support at birth: in 18 municipalities there are networks of family helpers for children up to 3 years old, 80 have baskets and discount vouchers at the birth of one baby and 69 maintain a childcare bank.
In this area, the OAFR highlighted the case of the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra for the “My first help” project, which awards vouchers worth 50 euros to be used in commercial establishments in the municipality and for daycare and kindergarten fees, which reach a total value of 5.000 euros at the birth of the first and second child and 10.000 euros at the birth of the third and subsequent children.
In the area of education and training, 112 local authorities offer school materials, 113 have a senior university and 19 have an intergenerational university.
The Family Water Tariff is available in 128 municipalities (86%), the Social Water Tariff in 124 (83%) and the Family IMI in 115 (77%).
This year the municipalities of Pampilhosa da Serra (Coimbra), Amarante, Baião, Maia and Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto), Horta (Azores), Arouca and Santa Maria da Feira (Aveiro), Lagoa (Faro), Grândola (Setúbal), Ponte da Barca and Valença (Viana do Castelo), Montalegre and Sabrosa (Vila Real) and Cinfães and Tarouca (Viseu).
On the other hand, the councils of Torres Vedras (Lisbon), Vila de Rei (Castelo Branco), Cantanhede (Coimbra), Vila Real, Torres Novas (Santarém) and Angra do Heroísmo (since its first edition) have received the award consecutively since its first edition. Azores).
Coimbra leads the districts with the most awarded municipalities (15) and with the most participating municipalities (17).
The district of Aveiro is in second place, with 11 distinctions, followed by the districts of Lisbon and Porto (10), Santarém (8), Braga and Faro (7), Guarda (6), Viseu and Azores (5), Vila Real, Leiria and Viana do Castelo (4), Castelo Branco, Beja and Setúbal (3), Madeira (2) and Évora (1).
The OAFR was created in 2008 by the Portuguese Association of Large Families to monitor, reward and disseminate the best practices of Portuguese authorities in matters of family responsibility for families in general.
The distinctions will be awarded on December 06th, in Coimbra.
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