Family caregiver

Following extensive parliamentary debate, the required financial resources to recognize the social and economic value of family caregivers have been formally allocated within the Budget Law.

A permanent annual budget of 257 million euros has been secured to fund the government-sponsored bill on family caregivers. The legislative proposal stems from the work of an Interministerial Task Force involving over fifty representatives from public authorities, local administration, advocacy organizations, and families.

The bill, currently under examination by the XII Social Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, defines the legal status of family caregivers. It focuses primarily on cohabiting primary caregivers who bear the main care burden, introducing a tiered protection system based on the level of care and cohabitation status.

Specifically, the bill provides cohabiting primary caregivers with low income a tax-exempt financial contribution of up to 400 euros per month, disbursed by INPS upon formal registration.

In addition to the financial subsidy, the bill establishes non-monetary support measures, including:

emergency and healthcare support: emergency replacement services within 24 hours, psychological support, medical consultations and teleconsultations, priority access to healthcare services, and timely planning of interventions;

access to medical records: access to the care recipient's health data, subject to informed consent;

skill recognition and re-employment: formal certification of caregiving skills toward qualifications such as healthcare assistants (OSS) or other healthcare profiles, certified by authorized bodies under regional regulations to facilitate re-entry into the labor market;

workplace flexibility: provisions for flexible working hours and prioritized access to remote working options;

solidarity leave: ability to utilize leave days donated by colleagues, in accordance with collective bargaining agreements;

anti-discrimination protection: explicit legal protection against discrimination based on caregiving responsibilities;

support for young caregivers: flexible schedules during national civil service, university tuition fee exemptions, and recognition of caregiving experience as educational credits and within school-to-work vocational training programs.