Indicators to measure child poverty and social exclusion

In the framework of Eurochild's Child Poverty Work Programme, Mike Lewis - former Policy Director at Children in Wales, has developed a Background Paper on Indicators at the EU level, that has supported the anlyasis of the NAPs/Inclusion 2006-2008 and will contribute to our future work on developing indicators, in support of a child rights approach to combating poverty and social exclusion.

Reference documents  to the background paper:

• 'Towards an EU strategy on the rights of the child', EC Communication, 4th July 2006
• Portfolio of overarching indicators and streamlined inclusion, Pension and health Portfolios European Commission, Brussels 7 June 2006
• 'An index of child well being in the EU', Journal of social indicators, Bradshaw J., Hoelscher P., Richardson D. (2006)
• 'Child and Youth well being in the United States, 1975-1998, Some findings from a new index', Social Indicators Research, pp.241-320, Land,K. Lamb. & Kahler Mustillo,S. (2005)
• Child poverty in Rich countries, Report Card number 6 UNICEF 2005
• 'Measuring Child well being: an inventory of key indicators, domains and indicator selection criteria to support the development of a national set of child well being indicators', June 2005.

• Taking forward the EU Social Inclusion Process, Final Report, Atkinson, A.B, Cantillon, B, Marlier, E and Nolan, B, 2005, (Government of Luxemburg, Luxemburg)

In 2008 the SPC launched a report on child poverty and well-being presenting findings of the evaluative review on child poverty in the EU as well as conclusions and recommendations for better monitoring and assessing child poverty and well-being at EU and national levels. The report has also a section dedicated to the data sources used on indicators and the dimensions of well-being.

In 2006, the EU's Social Protection Committee adopted a new set of indicators on social inclusion, pensions and health care. It has also created a Task Force within its sub-group on indicators, in which a group of 12 member states is working on the development of an indicator or a set of indicators on child well-being within the EU.

More information:

• a presentation made by Isabelle Maquet from the EC Social Protection and Social Inclusion Unit of DG EMPL , who is responsible for the Indicators Sub-Group of the SPC, made during Eurochild's Policy Forum on 12 June 2007. It presents the working methods of the sub-group.
• a presentation made by Ramón Peña Casas of the European Social Observatory about the definition of indicators of poverty together with the people actually experiencing poverty, February 2007 (in French).
• a summary of a project on "Another Approach to Poverty Indicators in Belgium.

UNICEF Innocenti Report Card on child well-being

In February 2007 UNICEF has launched its Report Card N°7 "An overview of child well-being in rich countries - a comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in the economically advanced nations".

Here you can find documents from Innocenti Research centre:

Innocenti Social monitor 2006: 'Understanding Child Poverty in South Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independant States'

Innocenti Working Paper: 'Comparing child well-being in OECD countries: concepts and methods', J. BRADSHAW, P. HOELSCHER, D. RICHARDSON.

Eurochild very much welcomed the launch of the report and has sent out a Press Release on this issue on 14 February 2007.