The EU Alliance for Investing in Children brings together over 20 European Networks advocating for the full implementation of the European Commission Recommendation ‘Investing in Children – Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage’ since its adoption in 2013. In 2020 this gained new momentum with the European Child Guarantee.
Mission
Our mission is to promote child-centred, quality and comprehensive policies to tackle child poverty and promote child well-being, by providing expert support in the development of EU and national policies, legislation and funding programmes, in line with the European Commission Recommendation ‘Investing in Children – Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage’ and all horizontal principles included therein. We are united by our commitment to a multidimensional, rights-based approach to tackling child poverty and promoting child well-being. We believe the EC Recommendation offers a valuable framework for policy development at national and subnational level, but that its impact depends on political will, resources and effective decision-making.
The Alliance has been established to:
- Fight child poverty and promote child well-being in Europe
- Promote effective implementation of the European Commission Recommendation Investing in Children – Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage
- Carry out advocacy activities at EU and National levels
- Make the most of opportunities offered through EU policies, processes and funding to reach these goals.
Our objectives at European level are:
- To secure and retain political will to end child poverty and promote child well-being in Europe
- To trigger and support reform in policy and practice based on a knowledge exchange to identify what works best for children and their families
- To strengthen meaningful engagement of relevant stakeholders in decision-making on public policy and resource allocation for children and build their advocacy capacity
Our objectives at national level are:
- To carry out advocacy and ensure dissemination of Recommendation to promote reform
- To use opportunities from the EU (Europe 2020; European Semester, Structural Funds) to promote investment in children
- To organise a high level event with national politicians and policy-makers
- To carry out consultations and participatory activities with children and young people
- Capacity building for National Alliances
How we work
We are active at 2 levels:
- EU Alliance, made up of European Networks and Organisations, representing a broad spectrum of stakeholders:
Organisations working on children’s rights and well-being
Organisations working on poverty and social exclusion
Organisations representing public authorities
Organisations representing social service providers - Pilot National Alliances in Spain and the UK
Coordinated by the Spanish National Committee for UNICEF and Children in Wales respectively.
Alliance’s Advocacy Toolkit:
The EU Alliance for Investing in Children prepared a Toolkit to support the advocacy work of networks and organisations on tackling and preventing child poverty and promoting child well-being at national and sub-national level. Alliance’s aim is to capitalise fully on opportunities coming from European Union level, through direct advocacy actions on child poverty and child well-being supporting national level implementation. Download the toolkit in English or French.
Partners
- Eurochild
- Alliance for Childhood
- ATD Quart Monde
- Caritas – Europa
- COFACE – Confederation of Family Organisations in the European Union
- Don Bosco International
- Dynamo International – Street Workers Network
- EAPN – European Anti-Poverty Network
- EASPD – European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities
- ELIANT Network
- ENSA – European Network of Social Authorities
- EPHA – European Public Health Alliance
- ESN – European Social Network
- Eurodiaconia
- EuroHealthNet
- European Child Safety Alliance
- European Parents Association
- European Roma Grassroots Organisations (ERGO) Network
- FEANTSA – European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless
- Hope and Homes for Children
- International Step by Step Association
- Lifelong Learning Platform
- Lumos
- Mental Health Europe
- Make Mothers Matter
- PICUM – Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
- Red Cross EU Office
- Save the Children EU Office
- SOS Children’s Villages International
- UNICEF EU Office