“Lombardy for Women”, support to help balance care responsibilities and work
The Region has relaunched and expanded the scheme – which forms part of Councillor Tironi’s remit – to promote women’s participation in the labour market
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - To support women in balancing care responsibilities with work, the Lombardy Region has launched ‘Lombardia per le Donne’, an initiative designed to help women with care responsibilities towards children or family members enter or re-enter the labour market. The initiative, now in its second year, was launched at the instigation of the Lombardy Region’s Councillor for Education, Training and Employment, Simona Tironi, based on the premise that the birth of a child, adoption or foster care, as well as caring for a dependent family member, bring new responsibilities and require a rethink of how daily life is organised. For many women, balancing these commitments with work means facing difficulties that can affect career continuity, the ability to re-enter the labour market or to seize new opportunities. Therefore, making care services accessible means supporting women’s freedom of choice and their economic independence. ‘Through this initiative, the Lombardy Region is investing in women’s participation in the labour market, recognising their skills and aspirations: being able to balance care responsibilities with a career means having greater opportunities to shape one’s own future,’ is the institution’s philosophy. And the ‘Lombardy for Women’ scheme serves precisely this purpose; for the two-year period 2026–2027, it has been relaunched and expanded with a budget of 4 million euros. Furthermore, both the range of beneficiaries and the services eligible for reimbursement have been expanded to meet the diverse needs of balancing family responsibilities with professional life. The figures show just how widespread this need is: since the scheme reopened on 2 March, 513 applications have been submitted, of which 461 have already been approved, totalling nearly 2.5 million euros. Behind these figures are women who wish to continue their careers and families seeking sustainable solutions for the day-to-day management of care.
The characteristics of the measure
Looking at the profile of the beneficiaries, 350 women have taken on new care responsibilities following childbirth, adoption or foster care. A further 101 have taken up new employment, whilst some have switched from part-time to full-time contracts. These are diverse experiences, united by the need to be able to rely on practical support to organise their time and responsibilities. The scheme consists of a non-repayable grant to reimburse the costs of babysitting, educational, support and care services incurred by women who have entered into an employment contract with private individuals or who use the Family Booklet and/or have entered into a contract with a temporary employment agency or a service co-operative, and/or make use of temporary childcare and care facilities, up to a maximum of 400 euros per month for a maximum of 12 months (4,800 euros per person).
Who can access
The scheme is aimed at women resident or domiciled in the Lombardy Region: those who have been in employment for no more than 180 days as at the date of application, under an employment or quasi-employment contract with a minimum duration of six months; or those who hold a VAT number or run a sole trader business that has been established or registered for no more than 180 days; employees who have converted their employment contract from part-time to full-time, without any break between the two contracts, within 180 days of submitting the application; women in employment for more than 180 days who have had a child (including through adoption or foster care) no more than twelve months prior to the date of application. In particular, applicants must have care responsibilities towards: children up to the age of 14 living with them, including those in foster care or pre-adoption foster care; or minors up to the age of 18, or a spouse/cohabiting partner, or adult relatives up to the second degree of kinship living in the same household, with a recognised disability pursuant to Article 3(3) of Law 104/92. To be eligible for the grant, applicants must hold a valid ISEE certificate showing a figure not exceeding 50,000 euros.
