The 2013 Commission Recommendation on Investing in children: breaking the cycle of disadvantage stresses the importance of early intervention and an integrated preventative approach. It calls on EU countries to:
- improve children’s access to adequate resources, including by supporting parents' access to the labour market and providing a combination of cash and in-kind benefits,
- provide children with access to affordable quality services, including early childhood education and care and healthcare, and
- support children’s right to participate in play, recreation, sport and cultural activities and promote children’s participation in decision-making that affects their lives.
In 2017, when presenting the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Commission and the experts of the European Social Policy Network prepared an evaluation of the implementation of the Recommendation on Investing in Children:
- Commission staff working document - Taking stock of the 2013 Recommendation on Investing in children (2017)
- ESPN report - Progress across Europe in the implementation of the 2013 EU Recommendation on Investing in children (2017)
As a measure of facilitating the implementation of its recommendation, the Commission established the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC), which operated between 2013 and 2021.
Researchers associated with EPIC have authored a number of policy briefs and policy memos on family and child well-being.
From 2018 to 2021, EPIC annual thematic reports outlined changes and developments in child and family policies in the EU Member States in the preceding year.