The European Child Guarantee aims to break the cycle of poverty and promote equal opportunities by guaranteeing access to a set of key services for children in need (under 18 year olds at risk of poverty or social exclusion).
The European Child Guarantee recommends to Member States to provide free and effective access for children in need to:
- early childhood education and care – for example, avoid segregated classes;
- education and school-based activities – for example, adequate equipment for distance learning, and school trips;
- at least one healthy meal each school day; and
- healthcare – for example, facilitating access to medical examinations and health screening programmes.
Additionally children in need should beprovided with effective access to healthy nutrition and adequate housing: For example, children should receive healthy meals also outside of school days, and homeless children and their families should have access to adequate accommodation.
When identifying children in need and designing their national measures, Member States should take into account the specific needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those experiencing homelessness, disabilities, those with precarious family situations, a migrant background, a minority racial or ethnic background or those in alternative care.
In December 2020, 24 ministers signed a Joint Declaration ientitled ‘Overcoming poverty and social exclusion – mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on families – working together to develop prospects for strong children’ already confirming their agreement to a child-focused approach. This declaration was welcomed by COFACE Families Europe in an open letter.
On 24 March 2021 the Europan Commisson adopted a proposal for a Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee , which is framed in the new EU Child Rights Strategy.
On 14 June 2021, the EU Member States decided to introduce a “European Child Guarantee”.
National Action Plan “New Opportunities for Children in Germany
Within six months after the adoption of the Council Recommendation, the governments of the member states were supposed to present national action plans for the implementation of the Child Guarantee. This has been delayed in Germany.
On 5 May 2022, Federal Family Minister Lisa Paus launched the National Action Plan “New Opportunities for Children in Germany”. At the same time, she appointed Ekin Deligöz as National Child Opportunities Coordinator.
AGF-Activities
The AGF supports the initiative and plans to continue to accompany the process at the national level by approaching the individual topics with a series of expert discussions and discussing what implementation would mean in and for Germany. In 2020 in cooperation with COFACE Families Europe, AGF held an European expert discussion on the process in September. In 2021, AGF started with two talks on the topics “Access to appropriate nutrition” (in cooperation with the “platform ernährung und bewegung”) and “Children’s access to free medical care and health promotion” (in cooperation with the “Kooperationsverbund Gesundheitliche Chancengleichheit”). In 2022 the expert discussions continued with the topics “Early childhood education and care, education and inclusion” and “Adequate housing”.
Download European Child Gurantee
AGF-Recommendations
Reports on AGF expert discussions
- Report of the expert discussion “The EU Child Guarantee and the promotion of children’s access to health goods and services in Germany”
- Report on the expert discussion “The EU Child Guarantee and the promotion of children’s access to health goods and services in Germany”
Some important documents:
- European Parliament resolution of 29 April 2021 on the European Child Guarantee (29 April 2021)
- Proposal for a Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee(24. March 2021)
- U Child Rights Strategy (24. March 2021)
- Reaction of COFACE Families Europe on the Europeans Commisson’s proposal for a Council Recommendation (25. March 2021)
- FactSheet Child Guarantee (Stand 25. March 2021)
- Study on the economic implementing framework of a possible EU Child Guarantee Scheme including its financial foundation (March 2021)
- Website of the European Commission on the Child Guarantee
- UNICEF Child Guarantee Pilots: The Child Guarantee: Phase III – “Testing the Child Guarantee in the EU Member States”
- Background Information on the Child Guarantee by the Observatory for Sociopolitical Developments in Europe (in German)
- Declaration on establishing a Child Guarantee by 25 Member States (December 2020)
- Open letter of COFACE Families Europe on establishing a Child Guarantee (December 2020)
- Fesability Study on a Child Guarantee (July 2020)