Audit ‘family-friendly university’
Rhine Waal University of Applied Sciences receives the certificate “family-friendly university” for the third time in a row
On September 30, 2021, Rhine Waal University of Applied Sciences was granted with the certificate “audit family-friendly university” for the third time in a row. The certificate granting is the successful completion of re-auditing the process named “consolidation” in 2021 and enables the Rhine Waal University to hold the certificate as a recognition of its strategic oriented family-friendly and life-phase design of study conditions and human resource policy for another three years. The prerequisite for the re-qualification was the successful undergoing of the offered re-auditing process by “berufundfamilie Service GmbH” that takes into account the degree of penetration of the already implemented, existing family- and life-phase-oriented measures. Through reviews, the framework and culture of the reconciliation policy was able to be revised, the results were shown to the executive board and a targeted consolidation of concrete solutions was developed in areas that still demanded for action. The first-time certification took place on August 31, 2015, after the university had successfully conducted the procedure of auditing.
The “audit family-friendly university of the berufundfamilie gGmbH”, an initiative of the non-profit Hertie-foundation, is a strategic management instrument that contributes to the sustainable enhancement of family- and compatibility-conscious structures and human resource policy. Through the certification, the executive board of the university underlines the relevance of this topic and the aspiration to continue to promote proper measures.
The Rhine-Waal University continues the systematic structuring of family-friendly offers for staff members of all areas as well as for students through the re-auditing family-friendly university. It ought to establish a general sensitivity for questions with regard to the reconciliation of teaching, studying, working life, research, and family. Furthermore, it facilitates to comprehend the perception of family-orientation as a cross-cutting issue.
In recent years of the auditing process, the university has successfully implemented a large number of measures, e.g. the establishment of a Family Support Office providing certain services, the creation of contingent-places for children at a day care centre (KiTa) close to university in Kleve, the cooperation with two counselling services, PME family service in the area of childcare as well as benefit@work in the area of care giving to elderly or ill family members, service agreements regarding flexible working hours, telecommuting & home office, e-learning-opportunities, parent-child-room, bundled information platforms and much more.
In the coming period, further measures with regard to the framework of the new target agreement are for example: the further expansion of adequate childcare services – as well with a view to the campus of Kamp-Lintfort, the agreement “mobile working”, family-conscious organisation of the committees, discussion about the continuation of digital, hybrid offers and participation as well as family-oriented teaching models and study models, social contact persons and fathers´ representatives, revision of the “keep-in-touch” parental leave programme or the collegial and supportive handling of family time.
The current certificate is valid until 2024. The Rhine-Waal University undertakes responsibility to work on the continuous improvement process of a family-friendly environment and wants to qualify for re-auditing again in 2024 taking into account the successfully implemented measures.
You can find further information regarding the certificate and the family-friendliness at the homepage of the company “berufundfamilie Service GmbH”. The current certificate, the short portrait, and the target agreement of the Rhine-Waal University can be found in the download section on the right side. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Stefanie Aunkofer and Christine Buchwald.