"No child or young person should grow up at risk of poverty and social exclusion!"
An expert meeting was held on the proposal of the National Action Plan for the EU Child Guarantee
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"No child or young person should grow up at risk of poverty and social exclusion!"
This is the joint conclusion of Barbara Vukas, Stella Tonner, Lara Mrzljak, Norma Marčec, Ana Jerčinović and Ivan Gudelj, young people who joined the panel discussion with experts and expressed their satisfaction with the opportunity to participate, but also pointed out that it is important to ensure participation of those most vulnerable. They also warned about unequal access to services, unequal opportunities, and the importance of continuous effort in achieving understanding between children and adults.
These six adolescents participated together with more than 60 children and young people in UNICEF consultations in the process of shaping the National Action Plan.
Children and young people emphasized the importance of ensuring access to preschool education and education for all children, free meals in schools and school trips to the most disadvantaged children as well as integrative, accessible, and quality social services for children in all communities, including foster care services. They also requested prioritization of housing support for the most vulnerable groups of children, including children leaving alternative care and more pediatricians and school medicine doctors, workshops on reproductive health and better access to mental health services throughout Croatia.
More on consultations with children and young people read HERE.
The panel discussion was part of the Expert meeting and consultation with experts, children and young people on the proposal of the National Action Plan for the implementation of the recommendations of the Council of the European Union on the establishment of the European Child Guarantee, held on Thursday, December 22, 2022.
The Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy is responsible for creating the National Action Plan for the EU Child Guarantee as a coordinating body that integrates and connects all areas of protection of children's rights in the health, education, housing, justice, and social welfare systems.
The method of creating the National Plan was participatory, a large number of experts and interested stakeholders were involved in its creation, which enabled a harmonized and coordinated approach to further improving children's rights.
The Republic of Croatia is one of the seven countries of the European Union in which third phase of the EU Child Guarantee is implemented, an initiative of the European Commission which aims to ensure that the most vulnerable children in the EU have access to health care, education, childcare services, adequate housing conditions and quality nutrition, all in order to ensure the progressive realization of children's rights in Europe. Despite the efforts made so far by the countries of the European Union, including the Republic of Croatia, every fifth child still lives in conditions where they cannot realize their full potential, and their access to basic services and opportunities for participation is aggravated.
In Croatia, the third phase of the EU Child Guarantee has been implemented for two years by the UNICEF Office for Croatia in cooperation with 11 implementing partners, the local community and the Government of the Republic of Croatia in three areas of intervention: access to integrated child protection and family support services, early intervention services and quality and inclusive preschool education.
The key experiences gained in the past two years are also reflected in the draft of the National Action Plan, which makes it an additional significant document by which the Republic of Croatia fulfills its responsibility towards children, creating conditions for their optimal development and realization of rights.
During the development of the National Action Plan, UNICEF provided organizational and professional support at various stages; firstly, through the creation of an in-depth analysis, for which a national team of experts was engaged with the support of the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, and then as part of the working group for the creation of the National Action Plan, in which more than 20 governmental and other relevant bodies were included. Part of the support also referred to consulting for the creation of a proposal for a framework for monitoring and evaluating the Plan, which will enable reliable monitoring of the realization of its results at all levels.
“This National Action Plan for Child Guarantee is a contribution to building an inclusive and resilient society, while working to break the cycle of poverty and social inequality, all for the benefit of children. I believe that at today's expert meeting, we will have the opportunity to exchange opinions and additionally discuss all the challenges before us, in order to ensure equal opportunities and the development of full capacities for a happy childhood to children at risk of poverty and children in the most disadvantaged position by working together.”
“All these interventions as part of the pilot-program were only possible in a strong and supportive partnership – with families, experts, the municipalities of Mala Subotica, Nedelišće, Orehovica, Podturen, Pribislavec, the City of Čakovec, Međimurje County, 11 implementing partners, the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, as well as other ministries, government offices, the Council of the Roma National Minority of Međimurje County, and numerous institutions. We are especially proud of the cooperation with young people who also contributed by sharing their views and opinions as well as actively participating in the process of shaping the National Action Plan. Some of the young people from Međimurje County were also involved in programs for the development of knowledge and skills of the 21st century in with which they achieved notable results.”
An overview of the National Action Plan was also given by experts on issues of poverty and children's rights, associate professor PhD. Ivana Dobrotić, associate professor PhD. Marijana Kletečki Radović and associate professor PhD. Olja Družić Ljubotina from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb - Social Work Study Center, and the meeting ended with answers to numerous questions from the audience.
Pilot-program "Phase III: Testing the Child Guarantee", funded by the European Union is implemented in seven European Union countries to ensure access to basic services such as health care, education, quality nutrition, quality housing and care services for children.
In Croatia, this pilot-program is aimed primarily at children with disabilities, children living in a precarious family environment, and children of racial or national minorities. It is implemented in seven municipalities of Međimurje County, and through the cooperation and knowledge of the implementing partners, the interventions take place in three areas: integrated child protection and family support services, early intervention services and access to quality preschool education.
© UNICEF, 2022 “The information and views set out in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein.”