Questionnaire on Poverty and Social Exclusion of Children in the Eu Member States

Brussels, EMPL/E/2/MAP D(2007)

QUESTIONNAIRE ON POVERTY AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION OF CHILDREN IN THE EU MEMBER STATES

TO BE addressed to the members of
the social PROTECTION COMMITTEE

Background

As agreed by the Social Protection Committee, the "light" years within the streamlined Social Inclusion and Social Protection Process (i.e. years when Member States do not have to submit full National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion) are to be used as an opportunity to look more in depth at particular issues that have been identified as key policy priorities for the EU.

2007 is the first of these "light" years and the Commission and the Member States have chosen tackling poverty and social exclusion of children as a key theme for the year. This reflects both the political importance given to this issue by the European Council since 2005 and the priorities chosen by Member States in their National Strategy Reports delivered in 2006.

In the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2007, Member States and the Commission noted that:

“Member States approach the issue with a mix of policies addressing different angles of the problem: increasing family income; improving access to services, including decent housing; or protecting children’s rights. Member States tend to target the most disadvantaged children and families within a broader universal approach. Two aspects stand out: equal opportunities with respect to education, including pre-school and adult education, and promoting parents' labour market participation. Measures to make work pay are being taken and reconciliation of work and family life is being facilitated through improved access to quality child care and flexible working arrangements. This raises also the question of promoting a more equal sharing of domestic work and care responsibilities.”

In this context, a set of initiatives (see below) have been planned whose outputs will inform an SPC Peer Review on Child Poverty on 4 October 2007 as well as contributing to the 2008 Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion.

So far the following initiatives have been launched or planned:

• A Task Force on child poverty and well-being was established under the SPC Indicators Sub-Group, whose expected output is a report (draft version by end June and final version by end September) consisting of an in-depth evaluative review of ways of measuring child poverty and social exclusion among a number of EU countries, and a set of concrete recommendations for a common framework for analysing and monitoring child poverty and social exclusion at EU, national and sub-national levels.
• A seminar to present the findings of the study on lone-parent families (launched in 2005) will be held on 23 May 2007.
• The first meeting of the European Forum on the Rights of the Child will be held in June, following the publication in 2006 of the Commission's Communication on that issue. In that context, cooperation will be assured with DG JLS (which leads on this issue), including in the context of data collection.
• The members of the Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion will address the topic: "Tackling child poverty and promoting social inclusion of children" in their first 2007 semester report to be submitted to the Commission.
• A call. for tender for a study on the prevention of child poverty and on means to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty will be launched. Work on the study will begin at the end of the year, to enable full account to be taken of the inputs listed above, with the results to be available at the end of 2008.

Aim of this questionnaire

As agreed at the meeting of the SPC on 15 February, the Commission is now presenting a draft questionnaire to Member States on their policies and measures to combat child poverty and promote well being. The questionnaire is in particular intended to assist Member States in preparing their input as a basis for discussions at the SPC Peer Review on child poverty to be held on 4 October, as well as to contribute to the preparation of the 2008 Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion. In order to complement the information that will be made available through the above-mentioned initiatives, the Commission proposes to focus the questionnaire on a number of specific issues that are considered to be crucial for the follow-up work in the area of child poverty, notably in the light of the messages of the 2007 JRSPSI.

In that context, some Member States have already provided a detailed and helpful description of their strategies to combat child poverty in question 1.1 of the ISG questionnaire (a copy of the relevant country's answer to the ISG questionnaire can be provided on request). Member States are therefore encouraged to refer to this information, and supplement it if they feel it adds value in their description of the policy framework (question 1 of the new questionnaire) and to use cross-references to the ISG questionnaire on other points. Equally, to avoid duplication Member States may wish to refer back to the National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion submitted last autumn. The intention with this questionnaire, however, is to give Member States the opportunity to go into more detail about their approaches than was possible in that context and to provide complementary information wherever possible.

In a further attempt to simplify the task as much as possible, the Commission suggests that, in the context of the protection of children's rights, the Member States submit the most recent report they have delivered to the UN Committee which oversees the Convention on the Rights of the Child and where appropriate make references to that document.

In devising the questionnaire, and in particular to make sure it is complementary with the other sources of information, the Commission is proposing that Member States focus on a number of case studies, describing how they deal with them. To this end, the Commission invites Member States to use the attached form for reporting on policies/measures addressing children at special risk of social exclusion. The intention is to structure the replies in a way which facilitates the preparation for, and the exchange of information at, the SPC Peer Review planned for October.

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This draft takes account of comments from delegations on the design of the questionnaire as received by 30 March. The Commission invites delegations to examine this revised draft with a view to approval by SPC on 20 April. Once it is agreed, the Commission proposes that Member States should submit their replies by 15 July.

Questionnaire to the Member States on the well-being and social exclusion of children

Please describe the overall policy framework in your Member State devoted to preventing and combating child poverty and promoting the well-being of children. In this context, please describe in particular the balance struck in your Member State between a universal approach covering all children and their households and a targeted approach focusing on the needs of children identified as particularly at risk of poverty and social exclusion.

Please do not hesitate to refer to your answer to question 1 of the ISG questionnaire and to supplement this information if necessary.

Guaranteeing an adequate income

Ensuring that all families with children have a sufficient income is a prerequisite for tackling child poverty and social exclusion.

What measures are in place in your country to ensure that all children grow up with an adequate income that allows their participation in society? These can include: measures to guarantee adequate income from work, child income support measures, subsidies for meeting certain costs, etc.

Promoting increased levels of employment within the household

Reconciliation between work and family is highlighted by Member States as an issue to be taken into consideration when addressing the issue of poverty and social exclusion of children and, in a more general way, their well-being. Creating opportunities for parents of both sexes to combine work and family responsibilities is particularly important in the case of jobless households, single-parent households and for families with three or more children.

What steps are being taken by public authorities or by companies to promote family-friendly workplaces and greater opportunities for parents of both sexes belonging to the three above mentioned categories?

What evidence (studies, impact assessments, etc) exists as to the effects of family-friendly workplaces on children's development and well-being?

Please provide examples of "good practice" in this area (optional).

Education

Poor educational outcomes and early drop-out from school have been identified as phenomena that may result in situations of poverty and social exclusion in adult life:

What measures exist in your country for ensuring equal opportunities with respect to education, in particular pre-school education? What measures, in particular, are in place to identify and support those children most at risk from an early age?

What evidence (studies, impact assessments, etc) exists in your Member State to support the argument that keeping children at school longer contributes to improved educational outcomes and better performance in the labour market?

What measures exist to prevent and tackle early drop-out from school? And what measures allow ensuring that all children leave school with a satisfactory educational level?

Are there specific measures to ensure the integration into the education system of children at high risk of social exclusion (e.g. children with disabilities, migrant children, children from ethnic minorities…)?

Please provide examples of "good practice" in this area (optional).

Access to services

Improving availability, accessibility and affordability of services for young children and their families has been highlighted by several Member States as an essential element in preventing and alleviating poverty and social exclusion of children.

Please describe:

Which developments are most urgently needed amongst the range of services (such as housing, health care, social services transport, childcare, youth services, sports, culture…) available to respond to the essential needs of children in general and children at risk of disadvantage and their families, in particular?

To what extent do all the above mentioned services systematically take into account the needs of children at risk and what steps have been taken during the years 2005-2007 in order to improve accessibility and affordability as regards the above mentioned services and which barriers still remain as regards the provision of such services?

Any good practices you would wish to highlight (optional)

Children’s Rights

To what extent do the rights of children as laid down in the UN Convention play a part in policies for preventing and combating poverty and social exclusion in your country? In particular:

To what extent are such rights protected by law or administrative decision?

To what extent do children and their families/guardians have rights to access to, and minimum standards of quality for, the services described under the above section?

Children at special risk of social exclusion

Member States identify a range of groups of families/children who face particular risks of social exclusion. Please describe the particular measures in place to tackle or prevent social exclusion (including any positive action measures) and promote social inclusion for the following groups, and give indications where appropriate on the estimated magnitude of the various risk situations, by using the form provided in the annex for this purpose:

Delegations should feel free to group categories together, if appropriate in view of its policy approaches, or make cross-references to replies already provided.

Families at risk of social exclusion

- single-parent households

- large families

- families declared or at risk of being declared incapable to care for their children

- families living in poor housing/temporary accommodation

- families of migrant/ethnic minority background

- families living in areas of deprivation

- families in jobless households

Children at risk of social exclusion

-disabled children

-children living in/leaving institutions

-children in foster care

-children who are (potential) victims of abuse and violence

-children who have contact with the criminal justice system

- children at risk of substance abuse

- children of migrant/ethnic minority background

- Roma children

- street children

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Governance

Ensuring that the needs of all children be satisfactorily taken into account across all relevant policy areas is an important element in tackling poverty and social exclusion, and ensuring their well-being. Equally, as with other risks of exclusion, the issue of child poverty is often best tackled at a local level, closest to those most at risk.

What arrangements are in place to ensure that the needs of children are mainstreamed across all relevant policy areas as well as in the related budgetary decisions?

How is the multi-dimensional approach necessary to meet the needs of disadvantaged children and their families ensured in your Member State? Please describe in particular how the actions are coordinated at the various policy levels involved, how the joined-up governmental approach is concretely organised.

At which level are the different actions for the social inclusion of children decided and implemented? How are local/regional authorities involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of measures? How do local social services contribute to ensuring a joined-up and coordinated approach? How is compatibility ensured between national orientations/ objectives and dedicated resources?

How are civil society organisations involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the measures?

How are the social partners involved in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the measures?

Are children experiencing poverty and social exclusion and/or their families involved in the design, implementation and/or monitoring of policies aimed at tackling their situation?

Please provide examples of "good practice" in this area (optional).

ANNEX

Suggested Form for reporting on policies/measures addressing children at special risk of social exclusion

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