Family support

Support is available from Social Security to help families with the costs relating to the schooling of their children, including family allowances and study grants. These benefits go up in the case of single parents and large families.

Find out more about family allowances.

There are various structures that can help children and young people who are in dangerous situations to live in a safer and more family-oriented environment, providing them with healthcare and education, for example. Here you will find information about support centres, shelters and street teams working to defend the rights and ensure protection of these children and young people.

Find out more about social support for children and young people at risk.

Mothers and fathers are entitled to support and benefits to compensate for the work income lost while looking after their children. In this section you will find all the information you need on support relating to parental leave, adoption and achieving a good work-life balance.

Find out more about support for parents.

People with disabilities who find themselves in a situation of socio-economic deprivation and inequality, dependency or social vulnerability may be entitled to certain social assistance.
 
Examples include social support, such as the provision of care and services at home or passenger transport, and financial aid to help parents or family members bear the extra costs of supporting people with disabilities. You will also find information on social inclusion benefits for special needs education and funding for assistive aids.

Find out more about people with disabilities.

Informal carers are persons who regularly or permanently take care of other people in a state of dependency. In addition to applying for recognition of informal carer status, which allows you to benefit from various types of support, find out how you may be entitled to the primary informal carer support allowance.

Find out more about informal carers.

Financial aid is available to compensate for the increased costs resulting from situations where a person needs permanent care provided by another person (dependency). There is also a dependency supplement, which is granted to those who are dependent on the help of another person to satisfy their basic everyday needs, such as domestic services, help eating and hygiene care.

Find out more about support for dependency.

People over the age of 65 have access to various types of support, services and institutions that enable them not only to ensure their basic needs are met, but also to maintain an active lifestyle with a good standard of living in a safe and stable environment. In this section you will find information on solidarity supplements, home help, care homes and family residences, day centres, night reception centres and leisure centres, and also specific initiatives for elderly emigrants.

Find out more about social support for the elderly.

People who are permanently incapacitated for work, not through an occupational cause, may be entitled to the invalidity pension. In cases where persons are given a prognosis of a rapid evolution towards a complete loss of autonomy with a negative impact on their work, they may be entitled to special invalidity protection.

Find out more about invalidity benefits.

Where persons are unable to work due to illness, whether on a temporary or permanent basis, they may be entitled to financial aid to compensate for the loss of remuneration. Persons suffering from work-related illnesses may also be entitled to medical assistance, treatment, medicines and other care. In the event of death due to an occupational disease, the deceased’s family may be compensated for the loss of income resulting from the death of the family member. There are also child care and grandchild care allowances.

Find out more about support in the event of illness and death.

A household is considered to be in a situation of financial hardship when its average monthly income, divided by the number of persons, is less than EUR 653.64. To help such families, certain support and benefits are available, such as entitlement to the income support supplement, exemption from paying SNS charges and also legal advice in relation to court proceedings.

Find out more about financial hardship support.