Country Reports - Ensuring the European Child Guarantee helps end child poverty: Eurochild Taskforce Recommendations
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Bulgaria - Germany - Greece - Ireland - Italy - Spain
Country Reports
Ensuring the European Child
Guarantee helps end child
poverty: Eurochild Taskforce
Recommendations
Eurochild is a network of organisations and individuals working with and for children
in Europe.
We are striving for a society where all children and young people grow up happy,
healthy, confident and respected as individuals in their own right. We aim to bring
about positive changes in the lives of children, in particular those affected by poverty
and disadvantage. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the
foundation of all our work.
Eurochild AISBL
Avenue des Arts 7/8
1210 Bruxelles, Belgium. For more information, contact:
Dr Ally Dunhill
Tel. +(32) 2 511 7083 Head of Advocacy, Eurochild.
info@eurochild.org ally.dunhill@Eurochild.org
January 2022. Digital release only.
Acknowledgements
This report is based on assessments provided by
6 Eurochild Child Guarantee Taskforce teams.
The Taskforce Teams were led by: This publication has been produced with the financial
• Bulgaria - National Network of Children (NNC); support of the European Programme for Employment
• Germany - The German Children’s Fund; and Social Innovation (EaSI) 2014-2020. For further
• Greece - The Smile of the Child; information, please consult http://ec.europa.eu/social/
• Ireland - Children’s Rights Alliance; easi The views expressed by Eurochild do not necessarily
• Italy - Fondazione L’Albero della Vita; reflect the position or opinion of the European
• Spain - Plataforma de Organizaciones de Infancia. Commission.
This publication was possible thanks also to the support
of Tanya’s Dream Fund.
We are very grateful to Sara Hammerton for editing and
proofreading; and Laura de Jongh from Hallo Mondo for
design.
Introduction
1
Introduction
There are over 81 million
children in the European Union.
Children make up 18.2% of
the total population. 24.2% of
children in the European Union
are at risk of poverty of social
exclusion.
Child Poverty in the European Union
According to Eurostat: The ongoing COVID pandemic has further exacerbated
• 24.2 % of children in the EU were at risk of poverty inequalities throughout the EU, including a lack of access
or social exclusion in 2020, more than the other age to quality education, both in school and online. Poverty in
groups of working-aged adults and older people; childhood prevents the realisation of children’s rights and
• In 2020, households composed of a single person has long-term negative economic impact.
with dependent children recorded the highest risk of
poverty or social exclusion in the EU (42.1 %);
• In 2020, 71.9 % of very low work intensity households
with dependent children were at risk of poverty in the
EU.
No child should experience poverty or social exclusion.
Children who grow up in poverty not
These figures are indefensible and unacceptable. It is only have limited opportunities to
evident that the pandemic has worsened the situation fulfil their potential; they also have a
but it has also made the situation and lived experiences
of children living in poverty and social exclusion more much higher risk of raising their own
visible. Living in poverty creates both immediate and children in poverty.
long-term adverse and harmful effects on children and
Frazer et al, 2021
this lived experience has a clear negative impact on their
development, as outlined in the First Years First Priority
report, ‘Snapshot of Early Childhood Development Data
and Policies in Nine Countries: A Cross Country Analysis’.
Introduction
2
More and better quantitative and qualitative data are Factors influencing the risk of poverty or social
needed to inform policies and evaluate progress. Such exclusion in the EU in 2020 included:
data helps identify the children most in need, and can
support monitoring implementation of the European • Type of household — households composed of a
Child Guarantee. For example, joint research from single person with dependent children (42.1 %), single
Eurochild and UNICEF proves that comparability on persons (33.2 %) and two adults with three or more
children in alternative care is possible across Europe. dependent children (29.6 %) had the highest risk of
The DataCare project demonstrates the need for better poverty or social exclusion;
data for better child protection systems in Europe and • Work intensity — 71.9 % of the population aged
maps out how data on children in alternative care are less than 60 years living in very low work intensity
collected and analysed. It contains a huge breadth of households with dependent children were at risk of
findings and information on 28 countries in Europe - poverty;
EU27 and UK. It builds a compelling case for monitoring • Level of education — 50.5 % of children whose parents’
progress on deinstitutionalisation across the European level of education was low were at risk of poverty
Union as part of the implementation of the Child compared with 7.7 % of children whose parents’ level
Guarantee. Several of the Taskforce Country Reports of education was high;
support this effort. • Migrant background — children with at least one
parent with a migrant background were at a greater
The Eurochild Taskforce Teams were invited to consider, risk of poverty than children whose parents were both
from their knowledge and experience, what the National native born (32.9 % compared with 15.3 %);
Action Plans for their countries need to contain to have • Living conditions — 14.1 % of households composed
the greatest impact on the lives of children at risk of of a single person with dependent children were
poverty or social exclusion. severely materially deprived compared with 7.5 % of all
households with dependent children.
The recent progress and country reports from UNICEF,
in partnership with the European Commission, on
the implementation of Phase III of Child Guarantee in:
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy, Lithuania and
Spain, clearly demonstrate the potential of the Child
Guarantee framework.
Recent County Reports align to the Eurochild Child
Guarantee Taskforce Country Reports. Both indicate the
need for national governments to work in partnership
with relevant stakeholders, including children, and for the
National Action Plans to:
• Identify who are the children most in need, the key
services that are not meeting their needs and the barriers
these children are facing in accessing these services;
• Identify the current policies and activities that are
providing accessible key services;
• Propose additional policies and initiatives, that will fill
the gaps in services for the children most in need and
set targets and timelines;
• Develop a framework for data collection, and to develop
and monitor the implementation of the Child Guarantee.
Every Member State has children at risk of poverty or
social exclusion. While every country is different, all should
be ambitious and demonstrate strong political will.
Introduction
3
The Eurochild Child Guarantee Taskforce
On 14 June 2021, Member States unanimously adopted
the Council Recommendation establishing the European
Child Guarantee. This initiative guarantees children
in need access to a set of key services to prevent and
combat poverty and social exclusion. It focuses in
particular on access to free healthcare, early childhood
education and care, education, at least one healthy meal
each school day, and effective access to healthy nutrition
and housing.
Member States are expected to submit their National
Action Plans in mid-March 2022. These action
plans should outline how they will implement this
Recommendation up to 2030. This means that civil
society have had a narrow, but pivotal window of
opportunity to influence measures and policies that will
characterise the national fight against child poverty and
social exclusion. reflected on more effective tactics and strategic
communication to better influence the development of
To seize this unprecedented opportunity, Eurochild the Child Guarantee National Actions Plans.
created a Child Guarantee Taskforce, with 9 member
organisations who have expertise in advocating towards At this time, we share six country reports, based on an
national governments and are focusing on influencing the assessment of criteria, as set out in the Child Guarantee,
implementation of the Child Guarantee in their country. and the needs of their respective country. Taskforce
Over the past three months, Taskforce members have Country Reports from: Bulgaria; Germany; Greece;
exchanged relevant knowledge and good practices, Ireland; Italy; and Spain.
Country
Report
Greece
Country
Report
Germany
y
Countr
Report Cou
ria Countr
Bulga y n
Rep try
Report o
Country
Italy Spa rt
Report in
Eurochild Child Ireland
Guarantee Taskforce
Recommendations for the
Child
Guarantee National Action
Eurochild Child
Plan
in Greece
rce
Guarantee Taskfo Country Report Greece
for the Child 1
Recommendations
al Action Plan
Guarantee Nation
in Germany
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1
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Country Report
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Eurochild Child ntee T ee T d
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Guara endatio
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Guarantee Nation Italy
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in Ireland
Country Report Ireland
1
1
1
Introduction
4
Key Recommendations for Child Guarantee
National Action Plans
The following recommendations are collated from the
six Taskforce County Reports and are applicable to all
EU Member States in the development, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of the European Child
Guarantee National Action Plans.
Governance Building an Enabling Policy Framework to
create a ‘whole of government approach’
• National Coordinators must be provided with the
mandate and resources necessary to carry out • A national integrated and enabling policy framework
and accomplish their role, as set out in the Child must be established, that encourages and supports
Guarantee; collaboration across ministries to ensure consistency
• They must work in collaboration or at least in and address the intersectional and intergenerational
partnership with all relevant stakeholders, including cycles of poverty and social exclusion.
meaningful consultation with children;
• Governance must be transparent, participatory and Accountability - Implementation, Monitoring
collaborative, including the sustainable design and and Evaluation
implementation of budget.
• The development and establishment of a national
Children in Need and Outreach Measures framework is essential for data collection and
monitoring and evaluation. This should be developed
• The identification of the children in need in each and implemented with stakeholders, and aligns to EU
country must be wide-ranging and in-depth, and level, which will support better targeting of children in
priority must be given to those children most in need. need and the creation of impactful policy design;
(AROPE is a statistical concept, and does not always • Targets should be quantitative (numbers of targeted
relate to the actual ‘children at risk of poverty of social children in need) and qualitative (indicators on the
exclusion’ but can be used as a baseline). quality of key services provided);
• All financial aspects of implementing the National
Key Services and Policy Reform for Children Action Plan (budgets) should be transparent and
in Need stipulate: the policy measure; geographic/territorial
location of implementation; timeline; and the number
• The current provision of key services outlined in of, and targeted group of children in need who will
the Child Guarantee must be stated in the National benefit from the program;
Action Plans. Only by identifying what is currently • All aspects of preparation, implementation,
available, can gaps in the provision and accessibility monitoring and evaluation of the National Action
be identified. Plan must involve the participation of stakeholders:
children and relevant civil society and regional, local
and other relevant authorities.
Introduction
5
Country
Report
Bulgaria
Eurochild Child
Guarantee Taskforce
Recommendations for the Child
Guarantee National Action Plan
in Bulgaria
Country Report Bulgaria
6
Taskforce Lead Taskforce Team Members
National Network for Children Bulgaria Hope and Homes for Children - Bulgaria
There are 1,189,680 children in
Bulgaria. Children make up 17.1%
of the total population. 36.2% of
children in Bulgaria are at risk of
poverty or social exclusion
Governance
National actors and their functions invited by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy
to join an Interdepartmental Working Group for the
At the time of publishing this report, it was not Development of the National Action Plan for the Child
possible to name the National Coordinator for the Guarantee. The group included representatives from
European Child Guarantee in Bulgaria. The European almost all ministries, government agencies, as well
Commission publishes a list of National Coordinators as representatives of the non-governmental sector,
as provided by the national governments. It is not business, trade unions, UNICEF Bulgaria, academics
necessarily up-to-date. and researchers. The consultation was conducted
online and each organisation had the opportunity to
In Bulgaria, three Ministries have a major commitment provide proposals on the structure of the National
to the European Child Guarantee, the Ministry of Action Plan and identify opportunities for contributing
Labour and Social Policy, the Ministry of Education to its future implementation based on their activities
and Science and the Ministry of Health. Cross-sectoral in the field of access to services for children. However,
policies are not well developed in Bulgaria and in many the group has not met again, since November 2021.
cases are completely absent.
According to the draft National Action Plan, the
Best practices of reaching out to stakeholders Bulgarian government is considering setting up
and relevant parties consultations with children on the Child Guarantee.
We strongly recommend that the consultation should
To date, there has not been an open campaign involve the widest possible range of stakeholders,
to promote the European Child Guarantee and to especially those working in the field who know the
involve all stakeholders in Bulgaria due to the current profile of different groups of children, as well as the
political situation. However, in the last quarter of barriers and reasons why change to children are at
2021, more than 40 experts from various fields were risk of poverty and who can provide working solutions.
Country Report Bulgaria
7
Main Recommendations by Taskforce Bulgaria • The Child Guarantee must be adequately and
transparently funded, with EU Funds and a
• The government needs to clearly and concretely national budget. The National Coordinator needs
state the commitments, goals and powers of to be able to monitor and evaluate the budget
the National Coordinator and needs to instil to be able to effectively implement the Child
accountability and commitment from across Guarantee;
relevant national institutions and government • Children’s policies deserve special attention and
agencies involved in implementing the Child a targeted approach that outlines problems and
Guarantee; places a real focus on child poverty and possible
• The National Coordinator needs to be able solutions in the short and long term.
to effectively monitor and evaluate the
implementation of the Child Guarantee. This can
only be done through a comprehensive and
robust data monitoring process at national
level that also aligns to an EU level monitoring
framework;
Children in Need and Outreach Measures
Towards a consensus on who children in need (nearly 67% of families, with two adults and three
are and why or more dependent children). The next risk group is
single parents (nearly 49% of single-parent families
One in three children in Bulgaria lives at risk of poverty with dependent children).
and social exclusion. Poverty implies not only material
deprivation, but also diverse challenges to access The educational status of the parents is also
basic services. The dimensions of child poverty and important; children are ten times more likely to be at
social exclusion in Bulgaria can be seen from the risk of poverty and social exclusion when their parents
following data: have primary level/lower education compared to
children whose parents have higher education.
• Poverty line: BGN 451.00 (EU 225.00) / month per
household member; The employment status of parents and the intensity
• Persons below the poverty line: 23.8% (1,659,900 of economic activity of households are essential with
people); 90.3% of children in households with an intensity
• Proportion of children at risk of poverty and social of economic activity of less than 20% are at risk of
exclusion: 33.3%; poverty, and this figure decreases with the increasing
• Proportion of children living in poverty: 28.3%; intensity of economic activity of parents.
• Share of children living in material deprivation: 38.5%;
• Large families at risk of poverty: 59.2%; Stepping up efforts − reaching more children in
• Single-parent families at risk of poverty: 39.5%; need
• Students at risk of dropping out of school: 25%
(180,000). There is much to be done in Bulgaria to achieve the
outcomes of the Child Guarantee. A starting point
There are significant regional differences in the should be to create a comprehensive approach to the
numbers of children at risk of poverty and social planning, implementation and monitoring of policies
exclusion. However, from the data, the highest risk addressing child poverty and social exclusion. This could
of poverty and social exclusion is for large families be done by:
Country Report Bulgaria
8
• Defining child poverty as a separate problem for
which specific goals and specific indicators should
be formulated;
• Establishing mechanisms for intersectional
exchange of information and cooperation across
government ministries, municipalities, social
services providers and NGOs, working with children
and families;
• Supporting a comprehensive reform of human
resource policy and the provision of human
resources in the childcare sectors. In particular,
the social sector and the child protection system,
creating effective working mechanisms of
interaction between institutions working with
children and families, with a special focus on
children in need. • Supporting parents to be active participants in the
labour market through different services which are
Reducing child poverty and increasing child welfare connected to the support of the family and the child;
in Bulgaria is impossible without breaking the cycle • Ensuring inclusion and active involvement in the
of generational poverty. A new policy approach is services and activities that support the child, having
urgently needed. This process must involve parents a family-oriented approach, as well as rethinking the
and families by: system of social assistance.
Key Services and Policy Reform for Children in Need
Current national policies and strategies suspensions of monthly allowances for unexcused
absences from school.
The most recent and complete review and analysis
of the legislation in the field of children’s rights The Child Protection Act does not explicitly address
are included in the UNICEF, A Deep Dive into the the topic of child poverty, but formulates principles for
European Child Guarantee in Bulgaria, (UNICEF action such as ensuring the best interest of the child
ECARO and UNICEF Bulgaria, 2022), forthcoming. The are respected, identifies the categories of children at
following analysis of key services and policy reform are risk and determines the protection measures and their
based on this report. sequence and family support.
As the Deep Dive into the European Child Guarantee The National Strategy for Poverty Reduction and
in Bulgaria report states, the current legislative Promotion of Social Inclusion 2021-2030 is the
framework relating to social assistance, the Family main national instrument that the government uses
Benefits for Children Act in Bulgaria does not create a regarding the reduction of child poverty. The strategy
favourable environment for overcoming poverty due to proposes an integrated approach to activities based
an inadequate coverage of the guaranteed minimum on children’s rights. The strategy focuses on several
income. There are one-time and monthly childcare target groups of children, but unfortunately there is
allowances, as well as tax relief, but these measures very little data available on these children and it does
fail to adequately compensate for inequalities, are not include all the mentioned groups. There is a lack
not linked to social support, and some of them of in-depth analysis of the factors that determine child
are discriminatory. For example, disproportionate poverty and the intersectionality of children in the
Country Report Bulgaria
9target groups. The strategy pays special attention Other significant relevant frameworks include the
to the parents of dependent children, for example by National Development Programme of Bulgaria 2030
including measures to encourage employers to hire and the Draft National Plan for Reconstruction and
unemployed parents with children and organising Sustainability of the Republic of Bulgaria. These
training to update the knowledge and skills of parents documents set out priorities, target groups and
after parental leave. areas of intervention aimed at reducing inequalities
and social exclusion. However, as stated in the
Gaps and omissions in current national policies forthcoming UNICEF Deep Dive into the European
Child Guarantee in Bulgaria report, they do not
The legislative framework relating to social assistance present child poverty as a separate sub-objective and,
does not create a favourable environment for consequently, do not prioritise it.
overcoming poverty due to inadequate coverage of
the guaranteed minimum income. Social assistance in At the moment we do not have detailed information
Bulgaria is designed so that it does not lead to a real on specific measures for the implementation of the
‘lifting out of poverty’ for most of its beneficiaries, as Child Guarantee and combating child poverty. The
the conditions for receiving benefits are limited to a only developed part of the National Plan contains
very small group of families, and does not achieve the only general positions and areas of impact without
goal of leading to real change in the quality of life. At mentioning any specific measures. Furthermore,
the same time, there are forms of assistance that are the available part of the plan completely omits
very minimum but are aimed at a very wide range of considerations on the regional and local level.
families, some of whom do not need benefits, but do
need other forms of support. There is still no support A Strategic Framework for the Quality of Early
system in place for energy poverty and utilities, which Education and Care is currently being finalised. This
is one of the factors leading to very poor housing should be available in January 2022. This instrument
conditions for many children. will also fill a regulatory gap with regard to early
childhood development and early education and care
There are one-off benefits for pregnancy and child- services for children aged 0-7. Its upcoming adoption
rearing (including those not linked to family income) should launch serious reforms in this sector. A large-
and monthly benefits that are linked to income and scale legal framework for the new Social Services
school attendance. For the upbringing of children with Act is currently being developed. This framework will
permanent disabilities in a family environment, as well become the basis for reform in services provision and
as for children raised by a single parent, family benefits support, including services for children. The adoption
are provided regardless of the family’s income. While of secondary legislation on the implementation of the
total public spending on social assistance in the Social Services Act is expected to facilitate access to
period of 2015-2019 has increased by more than the provision of services, create quality and financial
25%, childbirth and parental benefits have witnessed standards.
little to no increase.
Social workers in Bulgaria are critically understaffed
and underpaid. This poses a great risk on the quality
of the provided services due to constant personnel
changes. In addition, people who went through the
qualification process tend to leave the system very
soon. There is a need not only for better wages for
social workers, but also for supervision, intervention,
support and further training, qualifications and
professional development.
We believe there is a need for a comprehensive review
of legislation affecting children. Currently, legislation is
not well synchronised, some of it is outdated.
Country Report Bulgaria
10Real reform requires the complete removal of barriers An Updated Action Plan with a horizon to 2025 for
to access for all vulnerable groups of children to all the implementation of the National Strategy Vision
services. This requires an approach aimed at active for Deinstitutionalization of children in the Republic of
engagement with parents, which is inclusive and Bulgaria ( 2010 - 2025), should be elaborated in line
supportive. There is also a need to change attitudes with the National Action Plan for the Child Guarantee.
within society, that will lead to the removal of The closure of old-type institutions is not an end goal
stigma and restrictions that create and enforce the of the reform process but a means for achieving what
marginalization of these children. Attention should is best for every individual child in the context of social
be given to: removing barriers to the access of all inclusion and a family environment.
children to health, education, social and other public
services; creating an approach that involves and A National Paediatric Strategy is also needed, as
supports parents and carers; promoting systematic child healthcare services suffer from staff shortages;
and consistent work to eliminate stigma and do not ensure quality services to eliminate regional
discriminatory practices. disparities; and there is a predominance of hospital
care over early intervention such as pre-hospital care
and prevention.
Building an Enabling Policy Framework to create
a ‘whole of government approach’
Current national policies and strategies on Suggested steps to improve the national
children and young people response to child poverty
Children are not adequately recognised in the general The Child Guarantee must be adequately funded,
measures to reduce poverty and support families, as and that funding must be transparent. The EU Funds
there is insufficient recognition and understanding in include ESF+ funding, which must be at least 5% of
government that child poverty is a problem in itself. the ESF+ allocation. This means that the Government
This has resulted in national institutions working of Bulgaria must financially support the Child
in isolation from each other and matters being Guarantee with EU Funds and a national budget.
addressed only as ad hoc problems. There has not There are high hopes that the new government and
been the creation of long-term plans and policies that new political players will bring a new style of work
structure a comprehensive approach, a clear vision, more in line with European standards and trends.
transparent financial plans, secure and sustainable A key factor in building an enabling and effective
resources, and the recognition of human capital. framework for child-centred policies is the general
understanding of the importance of the issue.
Since the beginning of 2021, Bulgaria is both in a Children’s policies deserve special attention and a
crisis caused by the COVID pandemic and a political targeted approach that outlines problems and places
crisis, which includes elections being held three times a real focus on child poverty and possible solutions in
in one calendar year, as well as presidential elections. the short and long term, include financial securities
The new government, consisting of a coalition of to a much greater extent (change of socio-cultural
4 parties, was elected on December 13, 2021 with and economic models, behaviour, attitudes, life
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. Due to this, it is impossible prospects). They should benefit from the creation of
to predict what will be the policies and principles of comprehensive support through services and qualified
the new government. professionals.
Country Report Bulgaria
11Accountability - Implementation, Monitoring
and Evaluation
Existing checks and balances the establishment of civil society as a working and
meaningful corrective aid to the state, especially with
There is a lack of sufficient and systematically regard to holding the government accountable.
collected data to build a comprehensive profile
for specific groups of children. For many groups of NGOs in Bulgaria will continue to participate in all the
children there are no data, including the number of working groups, consultations and formations that
sub-groups, for example, the education children with are relevant to the application of the Child Guarantee,
disabilities are receiving, which is partly a problem of as well as initiating our own activities to influence
defining the boundaries of the group. It is necessary the government institutions. The Eurochild Child
to create a framework and collect quantitative and Guarantee Taskforce in Bulgaria is planning to develop
qualitative data on the number, profile and factors a communication strategy that aims to reach the
influencing the lives of children living in each of the maximum number of people - not only professionals
groups. To effectively monitor the implementation but also citizens, to inform them of the European Child
of the Child Guarantee nationally and across EU Guarantee, and to understand the goals, benefits and
countries, national specificities must be taken into the opportunities it provides. However, the National
account. Coordinator should organise a series of events on the
topics of the Child Guarantee, with the aim to educate
Suggested steps towards a more robust the representatives of the involved institutions about
monitoring and evaluation framework the national context and about possible solutions.
The National Network for Children are keen to discuss
In Bulgaria, the monitoring process should include these ideas further with the National Coordinator,
specific data on: the number of children in residential when nominated.
care (institutions and residential social services); the
number of children in alternative care;
the number of children in formal family-based
care; the percentage of children in residential care
as a proportion of the total number of children in
alternative care; children with disabilities (in all forms The Eurochild Child Guarantee
of care, including family care); child labour; school Taskforce in Bulgaria has extensive
dropouts; children of single parents; orphans; migrant
experience in working with different
children; child victims of trafficking, exploitation, and
domestic violence (or other forms of abuse). governments and institutional partners
over the years and in the dynamically
There is no dedicated Children’s Ombudsperson in changing environment of NGOs. We
Bulgaria. However, there is a large amount of support are able to create the necessary
for an Ombudsperson and the vast circle of non- prerequisites and relationships with the
government organisations (NGOs) currently working
responsible institutions and politicians
for the benefit of children and in the field of children’s
policies can provide much knowledge and expertise.
to closely monitor and influence the
However, the capacity of NGOs in Bulgaria is limited by implementation of the Child Guarantee
financial instability. They are also negatively affected while protecting the best interests of the
by the attacks on the NGO sector in recent years, child and high standards practices.
coming from far-right movements, traditional and
religious formations and the spread of misinformation
and fake news. In this sense, NGOs are in great need
of external and internal support for their work and for
Country Report Bulgaria
12Country
Report
Germany
Eurochild Child
Guarantee Taskforce
Recommendations for the Child
Guarantee National Action Plan
in Germany
Country Report Germany
13Taskforce Lead Taskforce Team Members
The German Children’s Fund Kindermitte e.V.
There are 13,677,902 children in
Germany. Children make up 16.4%
of the total population. 25.1% of
children in Germany are at risk of
poverty or social exclusion.
Governance
National actors and their functions It is encouraging that the new government has set
its sights on working towards equal opportunities
At the time of publishing this report, it was not for all children and young people and fighting child
possible to name the National Coordinator for the poverty, also in the framework of a more social Europe.
European Child Guarantee in Germany. The European The new governing coalition made up of the Social
Commission publishes a list of National Coordinators Democratic Party (SPD), the Green Party (Bündnis
as provided by the national governments. It is 90/Die Grünen) and the Free Democratic Party (FDP)
not necessarily up-to-date. The Department for announced in their coalition agreement that, among
International Family Policy has done some preliminarily other things, it aims to lift more children out of poverty,
work on the issue, but there is no draft of the National to provide better chances for children and young
Action Plan available at this time. people by means of a Kindergrundsicherung (Child
Basic Income) and to concentrate on those who need
Best practices of reaching out to stakeholders the most support.
and relevant parties
The Department for International Family Politics has
As part of a pilot project in cooperation with the attended recent events organised by civil society on
European Commission, UNICEF published a “policy the Child Guarantee. However, at this time, there has
deep dive” country report which lays the foundation of been no official information from the government.
the German National Action Plan. Since the new government was only sworn in on
8 December 2021, and the lack of information can put
This report analyses existing policies and legislation to down to the government transition period, it has yet to
identify gaps and barriers to children to access the key be seen if and how it will keep its promises.
services of the Child Guarantee.
Country Report Germany
14Main Recommendations by Taskforce Germany (Federal State) level. Furthermore, the National
Coordinator particularly needs to involve
For the National Action Plan to successfully contribute communal administrative actors to ensure that
to the proclaimed aims of the new government and the measures reach families on the ground;
to fulfil its child rights obligations, the following key • The National Action Plan must be viewed as one
issues should be taken into account: part of a comprehensive strategy to fight child
• The German National Action Plan should focus poverty, which combines infrastructure and
on children and families who are at an increased financial measures;
risk of the effects of living in poverty. Focusing • Sustainable solutions must be sought when it
on addressing precarious life situations is a more comes to creating and/or maintaining high-quality
appropriate way to help children and families social services; the shortage of skilled workers in
experiencing poverty and allows us to better the social sector is a major problem;
grasp the intersectional disadvantages; • It is crucial to develop the National Action Plan
• Both the drafting and the implementation of the with an inter-agency approach and ensure that
German National Action Plan should be guided by all relevant actors are on board from the start
the real participation of children and young people. i.e. children, families, civil society organisations,
This includes focus group discussions to obtain political decision-makers, administrative actors;
targeted perspectives from children and young • The National Coordinator should be able to work
people in need, which are often not (adequately) independently and should have the necessary
represented in current data and surveys, as well as resources and competencies to involve all
a broader, constant form of participation covering relevant agencies. We recommend to place the
the entire timeframe until 2030; Co-ordination Office in the Federal Chancellery in
• The National Coordinator must therefore work order to ensure this.
closely with the relevant actors on the Länder
Children in Need and Outreach Measures
Towards a consensus on who children in need and families are at an increased risk of the effects of
are and why living in poverty. Focusing on addressing precarious
life situations is a more appropriate way to meet the
Focusing on life situations with an increased risk of individual needs and lived experiences of children and
poverty, the European Child Guarantee recommends families experiencing poverty and allows us to better
Member States to identify children in need while grasp the intersectional disadvantages.
considering the specific disadvantages experienced
by different groups of children. This includes, among Stepping up efforts − reaching more children in
others, homeless children, children with disabilities, need
children with mental health issues, children in
alternative care - of which there are almost 150,000 Enabling real participation of children and young people
in Germany, children with a migrant background and We are convinced that only through the real
children in precarious family situations. participation of children and young people can we
gain a comprehensive assessment of factors in their
We want to emphasise that the Child Guarantee must life situation that lead to an increased risk of poverty.
live up to its name and its aspirations by working Through genuine participation, we can also better
towards guaranteeing equal access to important understand how preventive approaches can mitigate
services for all children. The German National Action the consequences of poverty. Existing structures,
Plan should focus on real life situations where children like schools, childcare facilities and youth work
Country Report Germany
15institutions, should be used to facilitate participation. As a vital stakeholder, civil society must effectively be
Insights from earlier child participation processes included both in the planning and the implementation
should also be considered. of the Child Guarantee Action Plan. Here, too, existing
structures and platforms should be used, e.g., the
Both the drafting and the implementation of the Nationale Armutskonferenz (German Anti-Poverty
German National Action Plan should be guided by Conference, member of the European Anti Poverty
the real participation of children and young people. Network (EAPN)) and the Ratschlag Kinderarmut
This includes focus group discussions to obtain (network of 69 German organisations committed to
targeted perspectives from children and young people fighting child poverty).
in need, which are often not (adequately) represented
in current data and surveys, as well as a broader,
constant form of participation covering the entire
timeframe until 2030. Again, existing structures and
participation forums on both the Länder and the
communal level should be made use of, like child and
youth parliaments and their umbrella organisations.
The (field-tested) qualitative guidelines for successful
participation of children and young people which were
initiated by the German Ministry of Family Affairs as a
part of the “Action Plan for a Child-Friendly Germany
2005-2010” should be followed. The guidelines
have been developed by an independent research
institute – the German Youth Institute (DJI) - involving
a working group of main stakeholders, experts
and professionals from the field. The guidelines for
participation of children and young people are being
revised by the Deutscher Bundesjugendring, the
German Federal Youth Council (DBJR). Since 2010,
they have found broad acceptance as well as practical
implementation in Germany.
Including civil society and the communal
administration
Given Germany’s complex federal political system,
not only is inter-agency coordination required to
achieve the Child Guarantee, but also cooperation
among all political levels must be ensured. Most of
the areas covered by the Child Guarantee – first and
foremost education and health – are governed at
a Länder level. However, the Federal State can and
must shape the legal and financial framework. The
National Coordinator must therefore work closely with
the relevant actors on the Länder level. Furthermore,
the National Coordinator particularly needs to involve
communal administrative actors to ensure that the
measures reach families on the ground. A feasibility
study in cooperation with the communes can help to
identify and reduce challenges when working beyond
the different political levels.
Country Report Germany
16Key Services and Policy Reform for Children
in Need
Current national policies and strategies, and Teilhabeleistungen (digital platform for children’s
gaps and omissions equal chances), the legal right to fullday care in
primary school education which gradually comes
Combining infrastructure and financial instruments into force from 2026, the needs-based expansion of
The National Action Plan must be viewed and mental health services, more school social work and
conceptualised as one part of a comprehensive other relevant measures planned by the government
strategy to fight child poverty which combines need to be factored in. Furthermore, all measures by
infrastructure and financial measures. The the government should be assessed in terms of their
introduction of a Kindergrundsicherung (Child affect on the situation of children and young people
Basic Income) and the new calculation of the at risk of poverty.
subsistence level are important components of such
a comprehensive strategy regarding the material Enhancing social infrastructure and training
support of children and their families. In addition, professionals
the digital Kinderchancenportal für Bildungs- und The comprehensive strategy must also include
measures to expand and improve the social
infrastructure required for the Child Guarantee.
Only where health services, schools, leisure facilities
and sports clubs are available can access to services
be guaranteed as foreseen in the Child Guarantee.
Here in particular, the urban-rural divide must be
considered. When it comes to creating and/or
maintaining high-quality social services, the shortage
of skilled workers in the social sector is a major
problem, which requires sustainable solutions. Studies
predict that Germany will experience a lack of 230,000
professionals in early childhood education and care
in the coming years. But the general shortage also
applies to school teachers and professionals in the
Child and Youth Welfare Services. The quality of the
services included in the Child Guarantee depends
highly on the professionals’ qualifications. In rural
areas especially, there is often a lack of teachers,
childcare workers, social workers, and other
professionals. The impacts of the COVID pandemic
must be critically considered in this regard.
Country Report Germany
17Building an Enabling Policy Framework to
create a ‘whole of government approach’
Current national policies and strategies on
children and young people, and suggested steps
to improve the national response to child poverty
Establishing inter-agency coordination
The comprehensive fight against child poverty is a
challenge that requires joint action of all relevant
actors: political and administrative stakeholders,
civil society, professionals, as well as each and every
individual. It is all the more important to develop the
National Action Plan with an inter-agency approach
from the start and to make sure early on to have all
relevant actors on board.
We welcome that the German
federal government and the other
At a national level Germany so far lacks an integrated
Member States of the European approach to preventing child poverty. However, several
Union have decided to adopt and municipalities, often supported by the Länder, have
successfully linked different policy areas as well as
implement the European Child support services to children and families in so-called
Guarantee. Child poverty is a far- “local prevention chains”. One example is the project
reaching problem in Germany too: “Leave No Child Behind!”, a joint initiative by the
State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the
Every fifth child in Germany lives Bertelsmann Foundation.
in poverty. Despite the country’s
It is of central importance to acknowledge the
good economic development, child
multidimensionality of the causes and consequences
poverty has stagnated at this high of child poverty. In practice, this means that not
level for almost two decades. only the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior
Citizens, Women and Youth must be involved, but also
the Federal Ministry of Health, the Federal Ministry
of Education and Research, the Federal Ministry of
Labour and Social Affairs, and the new Federal Ministry
of Housing, Urban Development and Building. The
National Coordinator should therefore be able to work
independently instead of being attached to a single
ministry and should have the necessary resources and
competencies to involve all relevant agencies.
Country Report Germany
18Accountability - Implementation,
Monitoring and Evaluation
Existing checks and balances Further Information from the Eurochild Child
Guarantee Taskforce in Germany
For the National Action Plan to have a real impact on
the living conditions of poor children and families, The German Children’s Fund, as the Eurochild
concrete targets and indicators need to be defined. Taskforce lead in Germany, in cooperation with
This is a prerequisite for the further development of Kindermitte e.V., has invited civil society actors
the policy. Existing monitoring and reporting systems, working on child poverty and children’s rights to jointly
like the State Report Cycles for the UN Convention publish a key issues paper on the Child Guarantee in
on the rights of the child and the UN Sustainable Germany. In this paper we provide recommendations
Development Goals (SDGs), can be a fruitful basis. for implementation from a child rights perspective
and we use the paper as a basis to participate in the
Suggested steps towards a more robust (public) debate. You can find the key issue paper (in
monitoring and evaluation framework German) and the participating organisations under
the following link here.
Civil society should play a part in the process of
defining and assessing indicators and targets. This Eurochild Child Guarantee Taskforce Country
There continues to be a lack in many areas of the data Report is a preliminary summary of the issues
needed to assess the implementation of measures discussed in the key issues paper.
to fight and prevent poverty. Vulnerable groups of
children and young people are often not adequately
represented in the existing data. Eurochild’s DataCare
findings released in Dec 2021 provides an example
for greater representation of children in alternative
care. A further example, is the lack of data on the
impact on children and young people of measures
taken to manage the COVID pandemic in Germany.
Vulnerable groups of children were hit especially
hard by the various lockdown restrictions, and to
adequately meet their needs in the catch-up measures
taken by government it is crucial to include specific
sets of research criteria when collecting data. Another
important instrument in the assessment of the action
plan’s success should be the participation of children
and young people. Here, again, a variety of surveys
and consultations is already available, for example the
World Vision Children Study, the Child Rights Index by
the German Children’s Fund (summary in English) or
the consultations in the framework of the State Report
to the Committee on the Rights of the Child. As the
target group of the measures, the views of children
and young people should play a central role in the
evaluation of the measures and should guide their
further development.
Country Report Germany
19Country
Report
Greece
Eurochild Child
Guarantee Taskforce
Recommendations for the Child
Guarantee National Action Plan
in Greece
Country Report Greece
20Taskforce Lead Taskforce Team Members
The Smile of the Child Roots Research Center NGO, Greece;
Iliachtida-Hospitality Centre for Sick Children and Family, Greece.
There are 1,854,378 children in
Greece. Children make up 17.3%
of the total population. 31.5% of
children in Greece are at risk of
poverty or social exclusion
Governance
National actors and their functions other Ministries such as the Ministry of Health and
the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry works closely
National Coordinator Mrs. Artemis Anagnostou- with Eurochild members as it is also in charge of the
Dedouli, Honorary Director-General of Social Security Certification of our Organisations who are providers of
and Welfare, at the Ministry of Labour and Social primary, secondary and tertiary social care services.
Affairs, and Chairman of the Board at the National
Center for Social Solidarity. Best practices of reaching out to stakeholders
and relevant parties
The National Center for Social Solidarity is under
the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, which is UNICEF (November, 2020), in collaboration with
the Ministry responsible for the thematic areas of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Greece,
(a) child protection (b) poverty alleviation (c) social launched the two-year program “Child Guarantee” in
security and (d) employment. The Ministry oversees, Greece that consists of six actions/pillars focusing
among other things, basic welfare programmes for on deinstitutionalisation, reinforcement of foster care,
child protection, such as foster care and adoption, support for autonomous living for care leavers, work
children’s access to day-care centres, as well as readiness for vulnerable youth, inclusive education
child protection benefits such as child benefit, birth and research on child poverty and social inclusion.
allowance, and allowance for disadvantaged areas. In
the context of anti-poverty programs, it is responsible Most child rights organisations active in the field
for the minimum guaranteed income, social structures attended the meeting and have regularly been
fighting poverty such as services and accommodation informed about the outcomes of this 2-year
for the homeless, free meals, social groceries, programme. Many of the above are regulated by
social pharmacies, housing benefits and the social the provisions of the new Law 4837/2021 on social
integration of minorities, etc. It also cooperates with protection.
Country Report Greece
21At present, the National Coordinator for the State bodies such as the Regional Social Welfare
European Guarantee for Children has requested Centres, the Institute of Child Health but also the Child
from civil society organisations active in the field Counsel, to nominate representatives to participate
of child protection (such as The Smile of the Child, in the procedures for the preparation of the National
SOS Children’s Villages, Metadrasi, the National Action Plan for the implementation of the European
Confederation of Persons with Disabilities etc.), Child Guarantee.
Main Recommendations by Taskforce Greece • To develop a network of specialised mental-health
structures (hospitals, medical centres, etc.) and
• To expand the programme of support for the services at community level to be accessible
family services in the communities aiming at for all children to prevent hospitalisation and
the detection and prevention of violence, abuse, provide adequate care for children with psychiatric
substance abuse and child neglect. The support of diagnosis. (Psychiatric clinics in hospitals also need
families of low socio-economic background should increased capacity to cope with demand).
include: - Public mental health services should be adequately
- legal/expert advice regarding the legal documents staffed to respond to the part of psychiatric
and access to allowances. assessments as well as to a regular psychiatric
- educational programmes including learning monitoring and/or therapeutic support.
languages & strengthening parenting skills. - Hospitals should not be the only option available
- provision of mental-health services. to children with psycho-communication problems
- jobs advice as well as more programmes are (and not psychiatric) and mental health problems.
needed to help unemployed parents enter the There is a need to enable children and their
labour market (for example employers in large families to access individualised and community-
companies could be required to ensure at least based services. Long stay of children in hospitals
10% of their employees are parents who have is particularly concerning. More effort should be
been unemployed). invested in ensuring their speedy transition into
- provide temporary housing to families foster families or other facilities providing the
experiencing poverty (for example by renovating necessary quality of care;
unused publicly-owned property); • To improve the nutrition of children, in particular
• To expand the provision of all types of social those living in families facing serious financial
services aimed at supporting children whose difficulties, schools should teach and implement
families are struggling, including Day Care Homes (promote) a healthy lifestyle (exercise, healthy diet
offered by The Smile of the Child. These services and sports). Through funded programmes, schools
must be aimed at preventing separation of children should provide at least one free meal during the
from their parents whilst ensuring children receive school program. For example, contribution to the
the necessary care, education and stimulation lunch for all children could help avoid the stigma of
needed for their holistic development; the poor students;
• To check and enforce compliance with the basic • To ensure children’s right to education it is important
standards of child care in residential settings, it is to remove additional costs for families facing
necessary to establish a robust mechanism that financial difficulties, for example tutoring, stationery
would provide: a) regular monitoring and reporting costs, etc.. Schools should provide remedial
of data on operation of residential settings teaching, foreign languages learning and computer
according to agreed indicators. Reported data/ learning.
indicators should be provided online in harmonised - The strengthening and increase of social tutorials
format to allow transparency and accountability. is also a factor that will contribute to the children’s
b) a compliance checking mechanism allowing for free access to education. For example, the Social
risk based inspections that would verify the data Tutoring Centres work with volunteer teachers
and conditions in situ; and provide free additional teaching support to
Country Report Greece
22students from needy or financially weak families in pilot project on deinstitutionalisation should be
the respective Municipality. expanded to all regions;
- All children including the most vulnerable must be • The cross-sector cooperation among local authorities,
equipped and trained to be able to access online the juvenile prosecutors, the District Attorney,
education. as well as social and health services needs to be
- Social workers and psychologists need to be improved. Children taken from the families should
placed in all schools, in order to better address the be primarily placed to foster care and their families
needs of children and connect with other services received adequate support and therapy. Enforce the
and support for the children; implementation of the regulation regarding placement
• Deinstitutionalisation should continue by of social workers in every District Attorney’s Office;
prioritising and development of family-based care • Municipalities should invest in ensuring all children
for children in alternative care. In Greece, there are have free access to sports activities (e.g. more
still 1,600 children with and without disabilities suitably equipped sports centres), as well as
who grow up in residential settings. The UNICEF expanding activities with schools.
Children in Need and Outreach Measures
Towards a consensus on who children in need
are and why
• Child victims of abuse who need protection from
the state, hospitality in child protection areas
or directly to adoptive/foster families. Children
Victims of Sexual Abuse highlight the need for the
implementation of Child-friendly Justice;
• Children with psychiatric problems who need hospitality
and general support in specialised structures.
Childhood and adolescent mental disorders are a
complex problem due to the serious consequences
that can lead to mental pain and dysfunction (disturbed • Children with disabilities;
relationships with peers and family, low school • Children experiencing substance abuse and/or
performance, etc.) that often accompany them, neglect and abuse within their family. These children
and/or financial burden of the family and society; very often are left without family on the streets;
• Children (0-18 years) living in institutions – closed
child protection structures. Enforcement of
In Greece, anxiety disorders (the most common, implementation of the approved legislation to ban
affecting about 13% of young people aged 9-17 placing of all children including young children 0-5
years), include panic disorder, post-traumatic years old in particular, in institutions;
stress disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, and • Uninsured children, especially those in need of
phobias. (5%). Eating Disorders (psychogenic rehabilitation such as speech therapy, for example,
anorexia and bulimia, 1%). Psychotic Disorders minors who are placed in institutions due to the
(schizophrenia, bipolar or manic-depressive removal from their biological parents who fall into
disorder, up to 1% in older adolescents. Attention the welfare of the State;
Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder 0.6% (5-7%). • The unaccompanied minors;
Autism Spectrum Disorders (0.6%). • Adolescents at risk of offending;
• Roma children.
Country Report Greece
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