Green light from the Council of Ministers for caregiver regulations, up to 400 euro for cohabitees
At the heart of the measure is the prevailing cohabitee who bears the greatest burden of care and the introduction of a system of differentiated protection based on the number of hours worked
The Council of Ministers has approved a bill "on the recognition and protection of family caregivers", presented by Minister for Disability Alessandra Locatelli.At the heart of the measure is in fact the prevalent cohabitant who provides the greatest care burden and the introduction of a system of differentiated protection based on the number of hours carried out by the caregiver.
"For the first time," said the Minister for Disabilities, Alessandra Locatelli, at the press conference at the end of the meeting, "there are certain resources, amounting to 257 million euros that we have included in the Budget Law, and we can follow up on the bill for the recognition of family caregivers. There are two cornerstones of the proposal: "Differentiated protections, so that we can recognise all family caregivers, those who have a very important commitment in terms of caring burden and those who have a lesser commitment, and the priority to those who love, care, do not want to be replaced, and do so for 24 hours a day, at night, during the day, in a continuous marathon". In order to offer answers in economic terms, 'we have identified a load of hours above 91 hours per week, which is about 13 hours per day'. An Isee of 15,000 euro is also envisaged. 'It is low,' Locatelli concluded, 'we hope to do better in Parliament, but the important thing was to put in the first piece after 31 failed bills in ten years. The first resources will be used to create a platform with Inps.
Three types
Three types are envisaged for cohabiting caregivers: for those who carry a care load of 91 hours per week or more, for those who carry out 30 to 90 hours per week, and for those who carry out 10 to 29 hours per week. And for those who are not cohabiting, a care load of at least 30 hours per week is envisaged. Economic protection will only be granted to cohabiting family members who perform at least 91 hours per week with an income not exceeding EUR 3,000 per year and Isee not exceeding EUR 15,000. They are granted a tax-free economic contribution of up to 400 euro per month, paid quarterly or half-yearly.
Contribution Amount
The exact size of the subsidy will depend on the number of applications submitted when the target group is identified and will be compatible with further support measures envisaged for family carers at regional level. Caregivers interested in being recognised will be able to register from September 2026 on the Inps website. For 2026-2028, 257 million euro per year have been earmarked to be distributed among those entitled from 2027, while the resources earmarked for 2026 (amounting to 1.15 million euro) will be used for the first step, i.e. the construction of the Inps platform that will allow, in 2027, the contribution to be disbursed.
Solidarity holidays and leave
Among the protections, differentiated according to the number of hours, recognised caregivers will be entitled to parental leave if the caregiver is a child under the age of 18. They will also be able to receive holidays and leave in solidarity from fellow employees of the same employer. If the caregiver is a young person, he/she will be able to request the compatibility of community service hours with care work. Student carers will be able to be exempt from paying university fees or have their caring experience recognised as credit in school-work training courses.
