International Day of Families—“Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development”, 15 May 2025

During the 1980s, the United Nations began focusing on issues related to the family. In 1993, the General Assembly decided in a resolution (A/RES/47/237) that 15 May of each year should be observed as the International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and enhance knowledge of the social, economic, and demographic processes affecting families.

As the world prepares for the Second World Summit for Social Development in November 2025, the International Day of Families (IDF) will place a spotlight on the pivotal role of family-oriented policies in advancing sustainable development. Held under the theme “Family-Oriented Policies for Sustainable Development: Towards the Second World Summit for Social Development”, the event will highlight key insights from national and regional initiatives, emphasizing the role of families in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

To commemorate this day, we invite you to explore a curation of insightful articles, journals, and Special Issues across various fields, including sociology, economics, education, and psychology. By sharing these findings, we hope to present an opportunity to strengthen common knowledge regarding poverty eradication, beneficial measures, and social inclusion.

“Child Enjoyment and Parental Satisfaction with Autistic Children’s Participation in Active and Sedentary Activity Configurations”
by Danielle Salters, Samiya Sheiknur and Sara M. Scharoun Benson
Disabilities 2025, 5(1), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/disabilities5010025

“Supporting Families to ‘Make the Most’ of the Relationship Between Their Companion Dogs and Their Children with Autism Spectrum Condition: A Qualitative Exploration of the ‘Family Dog Service’”
by Emily Shoesmith, Heidi Stevens, Selina Gibsone, Cari Miles, Hannah Beal, Kelly Jennings and Elena Ratschen
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020162

“Contextualised, Not Neoliberalised, Approaches to Families in Five Countries: Quality and Practice”
by Marg Rogers, Fabio Dovigo, Astrid Mus Rasmussen, Khatuna Dolidze and Laura Doan
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(12), 695; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13120695

“Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations”
by Vagioula Tsoutsi and Dimitris Dikeos
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 969; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100969

“Systematic Assessment of Family Service Barriers to Support Youth Engagement with Health and Social Care”
by Jeffrey Waid, Courtney Kutzler and Olivia Tomfohrde
Youth 2024, 4(3), 1364-1373; https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4030086

“Dementia Care Decisions, Caregiving Situations, and Formal Service Use in Korean Immigrant Families: A Qualitative Application of a Sociocultural Model”
by Yuri Jang, Hans Oh, Juyoung Park, Min-Kyoung Rhee, Nan Sook Park, Soondool Chung and Miyong T. Kim
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 378; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070378

“Family Functioning and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Gifted Children”
by Maria Assunta Zanetti, Tommaso Trombetta, Luca Rollè and Carlo Marinoni
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2024, 14(5), 1171-1181; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14050077

“Family Functioning Styles and Exercise Addiction: Disengaged, Enmeshed, and Rigid Family Patterns Are Associated with Exercise Addiction”
by Alessio Gori, Eleonora Topino and Mark D. Griffiths
Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ. 2024, 14(1), 148-163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe14010010

“Family Dynamics in Colonial La Rioja: A Case Analysis of Five Generations”
by Jorge Hugo Villafañe
Genealogy 2023, 7(4), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy7040094

“The Role of Family and Media Environment on Aggressive Behaviour in Bulgarian Schools”
by Yolanda Zografova and Ekaterina Evtimova Dimitrova
Societies 2023, 13(10), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13100222

“Adoption Is Stranger than Fiction” Guest Editor: Prof. Dr. Gonda Van Steen Submission deadline: 1 September 2025	“Interventions Supporting Young Children with Developmental Differences and Their Families” Guest Editors: Dr. Megan Kunze, Dr. Stephanie Shire and Dr. Sara Schmitt Submission deadline: 28 January 2026