Joint efforts towards stronger implementation of the European Child Guarantee in Croatia

Organised by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy and the UNICEF Office for Croatia, a workshop titled “Theory of Change of the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Council Recommendation on Establishing the European Child Guarantee” was held in Zagreb on 21 May.

Held as part of the project “Strengthening the Framework for the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Council Recommendation on Establishing the European Child Guarantee”, implemented by the Ministry and the UNICEF Office for Croatia with financial support from the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), the workshop brought together representatives of ministries, public institutions, academia, civil society organisations, and other relevant stakeholders. Together, they examined how the National Action Plan contributes to reducing child poverty and social exclusion and to improving access to key services for children in need.

The National Action Plan for the Implementation of the Council Recommendation on Establishing the European Child Guarantee is the central national framework through which Croatia seeks to improve access to basic services for children in need and reduce child poverty and social exclusion.

The aim of the workshop was to jointly reconstruct the draft Theory of Change for the National Action Plan, that is, to revisit the rationale and logical sequence of assumptions through which the planned measures were expected to lead to improved outcomes for children in need—through what pathways of change, under which assumptions, and involving which key actors. Reconstructing the Theory of Change is one of the key prerequisites for the future successful evaluation of the implementation of the National Action Plan. Through plenary discussions and group work, participants analysed expected outcomes, assumptions and risks related to the implementation of the Plan, and identified issues important for its future monitoring and evaluation.

The workshop was led by international evaluation expert Samuel Silveira Martins, with the support of national consultant Nataša Raduka.

The draft Theory of Change developed during the workshop will be further refined and incorporated into the ongoing process of assessing the elements required for evaluating the National Action Plan. This will further strengthen the understanding of the Plan’s intervention logic and create a stronger foundation for its monitoring, learning, and future evaluation.

The European Child Guarantee is one of the European Union’s key initiatives aimed at ensuring equal access to essential services for all children, especially those living in disadvantaged circumstances. Through the implementation of the National Action Plan, Croatia seeks to ensure better access for children in need to early childhood education and care, education, healthcare, adequate housing, and healthy nutrition.