Transcript Slide 1
Children in the National Action Plans
for Social Inclusion in the selected
EU member states
Erika Kvapilova
“Children’s Experiences with Poverty and
Social Exclusion – Challenges for Research
and Policies”
Vienna, June 28-29, 2007
Structure
Recent trends in focusing on child
poverty) at the EU level
Child poverty on the EU social
inclusion agenda, focus on V4
countries (NAPs/ Incl 2006-2008)
Linking research and policies – some
challenges in V4 countries
Child poverty agenda in the EU
Member states
child poverty has been on the agenda of some
EU Member states for decades
different approach to address the issue
depending on the type of the welfare state
children’s well-being has been very often
perceived from an adult’s perspective, and
focusing primarily on policies aimed at:
improving family income (paid work and
social transfers)
reducing family costs (subsidizing child day
care, education, health care)
ensuring inclusiveness (access to
educational system, safe neighborhoods,
child protection services, housing…)
Child poverty on the EU social
inclusion agenda
2001 - NAPs/inclusion 2001 low interest in child poverty
2004 - thematic study to analyze policies effective in
reducing child poverty (P. Hoelscher)
2006 (March) the European Council “to take necessary
measures to rapidly and significantly reduce child
poverty, giving all children equal opportunities, regardless
of their social background”
2006 (July) the Commission’s Communication “Towards
an EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child”, a
comprehensive EU strategy to promote and effectively
implement the rights of the child in internal and external
EU policies
“Towards an EU Strategy on
the Rights of the Child”
The Communication gives visibility and
puts emphasis on children’s rights as a
set of self-standing human rights that
merit specific actions (within a
framework of UN CRC)
reemphasis on children’s perspective on
well-being/ poverty/ social exclusion
(important, e.g. when defining child
poverty and well-being indicators)
Other developments
2006: The EU and Social Inclusion:
Facing the Challenges (Atkinson,
Marlier, Cantillon and Nolan) – child
mainstreaming
2007: NAPs/Inclusion – focus on child
well-being….
Children in NAPs/ Inclusion
2006-2008 in V4 countries
commonalities and differences
(Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czech
Republic)
Laeken indicator 1:
relative child poverty rate 2003/4. Source:
Eurostat 2007
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
no
dk
si
fi
cy
se
is
fr
cz
at
hr
be
lt
hu
lu
nl
lv
de
ee
gr
bg
ie
ro
uk
pl
pt
es
it
sk
tr
Laeken indicator 2:
% children 0-17 living in jobless
households 2006. Source: Eurostat 2007
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
lu gr si cy pt es
lt
it dk nl
fi
lv at cz ee mt hr fr
ro de pl ie sk be hu bg uk
Slovakia
Reduction of child poverty and
generational transmission of
poverty through supporting
families with children (an explicit
goal)
Intervention areas:
Education
Family (related) benefits
Legal protection (children at risk)
Slovakia
Strong focus on education as the
prevention to intergenerational
transmission of poverty, however,
limited number of related measures,
focus on conditional benefits and
subsidies;
Vague formulations related to
“preventing segregated
education…Roma children”
Slovakia
Family and child benefits:
Universal child benefit (a condition –
school attendance)
Parental benefit (non-working and
working parents/ conditions for
entitlement)
Tax bonus (working parents)
Legal protection and services - limited
number of measures
Hungary
Fight against child poverty (an
explicit goal in the NAP/Inclusion)
Intervention areas:
Employment policy (ALMP)
Education and child day care
Welfare services
Health protection/ prevention
Hungary
Promoting employment of parents (various
ALMP and incentives)
Prevention against the transmission of
poverty between generations
• Extending access to child-day care and pre-school
facilities (services)
• Improving quality of basic education (a new M&E
system)
• education for children with special needs and
focus on minority children (Roma)
• prevention against early drop outs,
Hungary
Indexation of family and child benefits
(reforms in 2006, no radical changes
envisaged)
Strengthening welfare services (legal
framework, access and quality)
Health protection of children and the
youth (improve and access and focus
on 0-3 years old)
Poland
Support for families with children (demographic
argument rather than the rights of the child)
Intervention areas:
Integrated social services for families with children (at
a local level)
Social housing (at a local level)
Food support (local level)
Equal access to education (children from rural areas)
Access to child care services (local level)
Flexible working schemes for parents
Czech Republic
Strengthen family cohesion and
awareness of intergenerational
solidarity and the rights of the child
Intervention areas:
Family welfare services
Education (focus on integration of
disadvantaged children – minority,
disabled)
Summary and challenges
Differences in focus: children (HU) vs.
families (SK, CZ, POL)
Differences in strategies:
focus on individual activation and financial
incentives for parents and children/ students
(SK)
Focus on development of (public) social,
health and education services (POL, CZ,
HU)
• Access and coverage (POL, CZ, HU)
• Quality (HU)
Summary and challenges: differences
in areas of intervention (matrix)
benefits
and cash
incentives
LMP Social
services
education housing
SK
X
X
HU
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
CZ
POL
X
health
X
Legal
protecti
on
X
X
X
X
X
Summary and challenges
Differences in targets and indicators
Various degree of involvement and capacity
of research/ Academia/ NGOs in formulation
of policies and measures
Involvement of research and Academia
(POL, HU)
Involvement of NGOs (CZ)
No/limited involvement of neither research or
NGOs (SK)
Summary and challenges
Lack of children’s views/ perceptions
on poverty and social exclusion (all
countries)
Increased recognition of children’s
rights as a framework for shaping the
measures and policies, however need
for more awareness raising