Launch of our latest book in Madrid | November 2018

The family as the vital hub of society was the focus of an event organised by the Home Renaissance Foundation and The Family Watch at the European Parliament in Madrid on Thursday, November 8.

“Life begins in the home and the family takes first priority for the Government of Madrid,” Mr Alberto San Juan Director-General of Family and Child, told the meeting to discuss the state of the home in Spain and the rest of Europe and launch HRF’s latest book entitled ‘The Home: Multidisciplinary Reflections.’

The rising number of children diagnosed with mental illness, the instability caused by divorce, problems of adolescents being left alone while their parents are at work and the need for redistribution of tasks within the home to lessen a mother’s burden are urgency issues to address.

Mr San Juan explained that the real major concern is the low birth rate, both in Spain and throughout Europe and the reason why the Government of Madrid has invested 2,700 million euros in policies to help provide for the basic requirements of families and increase the birth rate.

Neuropsychiatrist Rafaela Santos warned of the difficulty of differentiating between wellbeing and happiness. She said that while the State can supply services that give families stability, it’s impossible for the State to make people happy.

President of The Family Watch, Javier Fernandez del Moral, highlighted the necessity of making the most of new technologies for optimum interaction and communication within the family.  He also spoke of safeguarding the family both from the public sphere and from within as the values transmitted through the home in future generations are what will keep society alive. He emphasised the need for the family to be appreciated for what it is  – a nucleus of fundamental coexistence for the human being to develop fully and with dignity.