Over the years, the EU has made progress in child protection, but according to a report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), serious shortcomings remain. Fragmented legislation and policies, divided responsibilities and limited resources are all obstacles to the establishment of fully integrated systems for the protection of children and their rights.
The report « Towards Integrated Child Protection Systems » (Towards integrated child protection systems) compares systems across the EU. It proposes guidelines and ideas for the Member States. It also describes promising practices that are currently being implemented and are likely to encourage better integration of child protection systems.
The report's recommendations are as follows:
- Dedicated laws and policies - all Member States have child protection legislation. But only ten have developed a single legal instrument for child protection that integrates children's rights into all laws, policies and programmes. Only seven have national digital strategies for protecting children online. All Member States should have an integrated legal framework and strategy to protect children, both in the real world and online.
- More effective governance and coordination - 20 Member States have a lead institution dedicated to child protection. This institution acts as a central platform for the coordination and allocation of resources between government agencies, NGOs, law enforcement and healthcare providers. States that do not have such an institution should create one. It should have a clearly defined mandate and sufficient resources.
- Provision of sufficient resources - the division of child protection funding between different sectors (such as education, social welfare, healthcare and justice) poses difficulties in terms of resources and coordination. In addition, staff shortages are often problematic due to high workloads, low pay and a lack of consideration for childcare jobs. In order to improve child protection, Member States should provide sustainable, adequate and targeted funding. They should also better support child protection institutions by providing more technical assistance, knowledge sharing and training, as well as better pay and working conditions for staff.
- Evidence-based decision making – the lack of data on child welfare and protection, particularly data that can be broken down by age or by vulnerability, hampers efforts to design appropriate policies.Member States should regularly and systematically collect reliable and comparable data to monitor and assess the impact of their child protection measures.
- Rights awareness and involving children in matters that affect them – parents and children often have limited awareness of child rights. Many Member States consult with children and their parents or guardians when developing, implementing and evaluating child protection policies and laws, often with the help of NGOs or human rights institutions. In some, it is a legal obligation. This practice could be further improved by working with the EU Children’s Participation Platform.
- Higher quality care – prevention and early intervention programmes such as family support and mental health services are still limited across the EU. There is also a lack of foster families, especially those who can welcome children with additional needs. Member States should invest more in providing better quality support and care for children and families.
This report is based on the2023 update de la cartographie des systèmes de protection de l’enfance dans l’Union, établie en 2014 par la FRA.
Read the report :
Source : Source : the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)