I'm still at a loss as to how the phrase really works. Is it analogous to "property values", meaning the value which is placed by society on families? Which I'd say is pretty low in many ways.   Or is it supposed to be about the value placed on the family by families?

And it seems to avoid the truth that there are downright evil families as well as good families.

I read what people say about it just being a code word by people with a political agenda - but then they seem to start using it as a code word with a different political agenda.

It just seems a dead-end of an expression, which gets in the way of talking about how people can make sure that their families are good families to live and grow in, and how collectively we can maybe organise things in ways that make that easier rather than harder.