UNICEF report card 11 on child well-being in rich countries

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has recently published a report card providing a comparative overview of child well-being in 29 of the world’s most advanced economies. Using international data from 2009 and 2010, the report breaks down well-being into five dimensions, namely education, housing and environment, material well-being, health and safety, and behaviour and risks. The report card consists of three sections: a country ranking; children’s views on their own well-being; and changes in child well-being since the 2007 UNICEF report card on this same topic. Overall the data show improvements for most indicators of children’s well-being irrespective of per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with particularly strong gains for Central and Eastern European countries.

Protecting EU Kids online

Today’s children are living in an environment that is radically different from the childhoods of their parents.  The growing prevalence of virtual environments in private life and education is one of the most notable intergenerational changes. It has profound effects on children’s physical activity levels and socialisation, and challenges behavioural models that prevailed in previous generations. In particular, children’s online activities risk exposing them to novel forms of risks and create vulnerabilities that their parents and teachers are not familiar with. European institutions and EU-funded projects are increasingly addressing the risks and safety of children online.

EU Youth Conference focused on youth unemployment and social inclusion

The European Union (EU) Youth Conference, held between the  11– 13 March 2013, was the highlight of Ireland’s EU Youth Presidency Programme, and marked the culmination of consultations with 11,000 young people and 10 non-governmental organisations across 27 EU member states. One hundred and fifty young people from 27 EU Member States joined Minister Frances Fitzgerald and EU Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou at the conference in Dublin. A key focus of the meeting was on unemployment, which has emerged as the biggest challenge to the social inclusion of young people.

Right to Health: Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) publishes new General Comment

The Committee on the Rights of the Child, a body of currently 18 independent experts monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by its State Parties, has published its General Comment No. 15 on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health (article 24). The Convention sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children, who are defined as every human being below the age of eighteen years unless the age of majority is attained earlier according to national legislation.

According to article 24 of the Convention, State Parties ‘recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health.’ They shall ‘strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.’ This General Comment no. 15 provides guidance and support to State parties and other duty bearers (governmental and non-governmental, private sector and funding organizations) across all levels of governance for respecting, protecting and fulfilling children’s right to health.

Eurochild’s ‘Speak up!’ project for children’s rights

Eurochild is a network of European organisations and partnerships (from Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, Greece, Poland and Bulgaria) which focuses on promoting children’s rights.  Eurochild led the two year project ‘Speak up!’ with funding from the European Commission’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Program.  The ‘Speak up!’ project’s central aim was to investigate how children view their own rights, how these rights can be protected and how children think they are reflected in national and European policy.

Commissioner László Andor speaks on Social Investment Package (SIP) and role of the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC)

László Andor, Commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, recently delivered a speech on ‘Fighting poverty and preserving democracy through social investment’ at the Council of Europe Conference on Poverty and Inequalities in Societies of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Andor highlighted the aim of the European Commission’s (EC) Social Investment Package (SIP), which was adopted on 20th February, in increasing “participation in employment, better social spending and fairer taxation to offset inequality and fight against poverty across Europe”. The Package sets out an integrated framework for social policy reform drawing on good practices of Member States and calling for increased efficiency in achieving policy goals.

The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) 2014 Campaign: European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life

COFACE not only studies how families live and the challenges they face, but also aims to address how policy might be shaped to try and make the lives of men, women and children happier, and the decisions they make easier.  In 2010 COFACE initially proposed that 2014 should be a year to focus on family well-being.  Having advocated strongly since this initial proposal, COFACE and its members have now received positive reactions from the European Parliament and the European Commission to have 2014 designated the European Year for Reconciling Work and Family Life.  Whilst one focus of the year aims to match people’s skills to jobs, it also aims to improve the well-being and lives of European citizens. COFACE hopes that 2014 will mark a year of positive change for families in Europe.

The Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union (COFACE) Conference on “Vulnerable Families- What can Europe do?” 4th and 5th February 2013

Hosted by the Irish Presidency of the EU in Dublin Castle, COFACE and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association co-organised the conference, “Vulnerable Families- What can Europe do?” on the 4^th and 5^th February 2013.  The conference focused on the most vulnerable families in the EU who, in such an economic and social climate, are at risk of poverty and exclusion from the labour market.  At such times of austerity these vulnerable families are increasingly at risk of not being able to access housing, social and health services and discussions at the conference sought to focus on how these challenges might be confronted.  The aim to give vulnerable families in Europe a platform was realised and the Roadmap for Vulnerable Families 2020 was a key outcome of the conference.

Evidence-based practice: A social-influence approach to reducing drug-use among teenagers

The European Drug Abuse Prevention Trial (EU-Dap) is an experimental evaluation of a school-based drug abuse prevention programme conducted in seven EU countries. The programme, “Unplugged”, uses a comprehensive social-influence approach to reduce the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs among students of 12-14 years of age. This approach has repeatedly been shown to reduce the onset of use or significantly reduce the consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis among young people.

Evidence-based practice: Helping parents to treat their child’s emotional and behavioural problems through positive parenting

The Incredible Years programme is designed to teach positive parenting techniques such as the use of praise and incentives to reinforce positive child behaviour, and consists of twelve weeks of 2 hour parenting sessions. It can be used for parents of both pre-school and school-aged children who already have or are at risk of developing conduct problems, including antisocial behaviour, frequent anger, and a propensity towards violence. The programme has been successfully implemented in Sweden and the UK.

Evidence-based practice: Incentivizing fathers to take parental leave

Sweden has successfully implemented several reforms to their parental leave policy with the aim of increasing sharing of parental leave among mothers and fathers. In 1995, one month of leave was reserved for each parent, with the effect that if a given parent chose not to use their month of leave, that month was forfeited and the other parent could take only eleven months of leave. In 2002, this reserved leave was extended to two months per parent, and the full amount of leave time was increased to thirteen months. The reform was found to significantly increase the proportion of fathers who used parental benefit days, and the number of parental benefit days used by each parent.

Evidence-based practice: Encouraging parental engagement with the teaching of their child

The Parents’ Briefcase is an ongoing project that aims to involve parents more in their children's education in around 80 schools in France. It is run by the Academie de Creteil, which comes under the direct authority of the France's Ministry for Education. The programme was set up to improve relations between parents and teachers and to help parents understand more about how their child is taught so that they can contribute to their child's success at school. Parents have been found to change their behavior significantly in response to the programme, becoming more likely to make individual appointments with teachers and more likely to participate in parents’ organizations.

Council Conclusions on preventing and tackling child poverty and social exclusion and promoting children's well-being

Within the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the European Commission plans to publish a Recommendation on Child Poverty. In order to produce this document, the Commission has been working with representatives from Member States within the Social Protection Committee (SPC). On 27 June 2012, the SPC adopted an advisory report to the European Commission (EC) on the Recommendation, entitled Tackling and Preventing Child Poverty, Promoting Child Well-being, which fed into the Council Conclusions on Preventing and tackling child poverty and social exclusion and promoting children's well-being. Following the release of Council Conclusions, the Commission is expected to have voted on the final Recommendation on Child Poverty by the end of 2012.

ESN comments on the Social Protection Committee's report to the European Commission: the perspective of local social services for children

The network of European Social Services (ESN) has published its analysis of the Social Protection Committee ’s (SPC) advisory report to the European Commission on Tackling and Preventing Child Poverty, Promoting Child Well-Being. The ESN’s comments focus on access to quality services for children and the extent to which the report has emphasized the need to take their voices into account in public services.
From ESN’s perspective, the Recommendation should champion disadvantaged children, with whom local public social services (ESN’s members) typically have contact. In order to define a text which reflect this priority, ESN has proposed that a number of overarching principles on key services be re-asserted in the Recommendation.

Evidence-based practice: Providing community support to first-time parents

The Community Mothers’ Programme targets first-time parents living in disadvantaged areas, and is aimed at improving parent capacity and parent empowerment by providing support and encouragement to first-time parents through home visits from “community mothers”. It was first started in 1988 in Dublin by the Health Service Executive, a public organization responsible for the provision of healthcare and personal social services for everyone living in Ireland.

The Community Mothers’ Programme has been reviewed by our team of experts, to assess the strength of evidence supporting the practice. In accordance with the EAF’s evaluation framework, it has been designated as a Promising Practice. Further information on the practice can be found in our Evidence-Based Family Practices section.

Evidence-based practice: Promoting nurturing relationships between parent and child

The Triple P—Positive Parenting Programme aims to prevent severe emotional and behavioural disturbances in children by promoting positive and nurturing relationships between parent and child. The programme has five intervention levels of increasing intensity and targeting, ranging from a community-wide media information campaign for all parents, to an intervention for families identified as being at risk for child maltreatment.

The Triple P – Positive Parenting Programme has been reviewed by our team of experts, to assess the strength of evidence supporting the practice. In accordance with the EAF’s evaluation framework, it has been designated as a Best Practice. Further information on the practice can be found in our Evidence-Based Family Practices section.

Evidence-based practice: A classroom-based social skills curriculum for children

"Second Step: A Violence Prevention Programme" is a classroom-based social skills curriculum for students from preschool through middle school. The curriculum aims to reduce impulsive and aggressive behaviours and increase social-emotional competence. Organized by year level, the programme teaches children empathy, problem-solving skills, risk assessment, decision-making, and goal-setting skills.

The Second Step Programme has been reviewed by our team of experts, to assess the strength of evidence supporting the practice. In accordance with the EAF’s evaluation framework, it has been designated as a Promising Practice. Further information on the practice can be found in our Evidence-Based Family Practices section.

Evidence-based practice: A family centred approach to supporting at risk newborns

The Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Programme (NIDCAP) offers an individualized and nurturing approach to the care of infants in neonatal intensive care units and special care nurseries. It is a relationship-based, family-centered approach that promotes the idea that infants and their families are collaborators in developing an individualized programme of support to maximize physical, mental, and emotional growth and health, and to improve long-term outcomes for preterm and high medical risk newborns.

NIDCAP has been reviewed by our team of experts, to assess the strength of evidence supporting the practice. In accordance with the EAF’s evaluation framework, it has been designated as a Promising Practice. Further information on the practice can be found in our Evidence-Based Family Practices section.