EPIC celebrates Universal Children’s Day
Today, the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) celebrates the United Nations’ Universal Children’s Day by providing an overview of resources and information available for European practitioners and policymakers to support positive child wellbeing and development.
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Recent progress for children in the EU
According to 2016 Eurostat data, 25 million children under the age of 18 across the European Union are at risk of poverty. In the past year, the EU took further steps in the possible implementation of a Child Guarantee. Following a decision of the European Parliament in 2015, the Commission is now considering the feasibility of establishing a Child Guarantee which would ensure that all children at risk of poverty across the EU can benefit from free healthcare, free education, decent housing and adequate nutrition.
Additionally, on the 2nd of May 2018, the European Parliament published a statement to protect migrant children in the EU. The resolution emphasises that all children are entitled to the rights enshrined in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, and calls for all Member States to respect and protects the rights and interests of migrant children when implementing their migration policies.
Helping policy makers to implement the Recommendation for Investing in Children
EPIC helps Member States to track progress of the implementation of the Recommendation for Investing in Children and is a tool for monitoring activities triggered by the Recommendation. EPIC is also a platform for sharing the best of policymaking for children and families and to foster cooperation and mutual learning in the field.
A series of EPIC policy memos and policy briefs provide short, accessible introductions for policymakers and practitioners about key topics in children’s wellbeing.
The EPIC country profiles, updated annually, offer a short comparative overview of the main trends and policies relevant to child wellbeing in each EU Member State.
EPIC also collects and disseminates innovative and evidence-based practices that have a positive impact on children and families in EU Member States to enable cross-regional learning:
- EPIC’s collection of Evidence-Based Practices aims to share emerging, promising and best practices for children and families which are being implemented across the EU.
- The EPIC Social Innovation Repository features practices that are innovative, have a clear theory of change and have been developed in the past 5 years and may therefore not have sufficient evidence of their effectiveness.
- The EPIC User Registry provides an overview of other practices being implemented across Europe, which have not yet been evaluated. Practices can be searched by name, topic or country.
If your organisation is developing or implementing child-focused practices, you can share this knowledge with other users by submitting them to EPIC.
Moreover, EPIC’s repository of studies and reports and statistics features links to further resources and research relating to EU child and family policy
Get involved during Universal Children’s Day
Some of EPIC’s partner organisations are devoting Universal Children’s Day to spreading the importance of children’s involvement in key decisions that will affect their lives now and in the future. On 20 November, the President of the European Parliament will host the first plenary session attended by a delegation of children and young people. They will discuss the results of the ‘Europe Kids Want’ online survey, which is a joint initiative by Eurochild and UNICEF to collect children’s views on their experience of family-life, school, society and Europe.
You can share your own activities or follow others on social media by using the hashtags: #WorldChildrensDay and #GoBlue.