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Eurochild continues its work to influence better data systems for children in alternative care

Eurochild launches second phase of its DataCare project in four countries – France, Ireland, Portugal and Romania

With the beginning of 2022, so too begins a new chapter in Eurochild’s DataCare project, with continued funding and support from UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO). Together, we are working to influence how Member States and the EU will monitor the new European Child Guarantee - utilising our final findings from the project.

Despite differing national definitions and categorisations of alternative care across the region, enough data are being published at national level that can be used at an aggregate level to establish comparable indicators on children in residential care and three other relevant and interlinked indicators:

The proportion of children placed in residential care compared to those placed in formal family-based care provides a useful indicator to monitor progress towards a shared goal: to ensure that children in alternative care receive high quality, inclusive, family and community-based care.

If implemented across the EU, this indicator can shed light on the effectiveness of the deinstitutionalisation reforms that are taking place in many European countries, including under the European Child Guarantee.

For this reason, we are now engaging with EU and Member States to include our proposed indicators on children in alternative care into the National Action Plans & the EU monitoring framework for the European Child Guarantee.

This work has already begun. For example,

Our advocacy work will continue throughout the year. As part of this work, we wish to share our findings and materials with any Eurochild members and allies who wish to advocate for the prioritisation of children in alternative care within the Child Guarantee National Action Plans.

Contact the Secretariat – Zuzana Konradova and Ciaran O’Donnell for more information.

Learn more

Discover how your country is doing for children in alternative care with our Country Overviews for each country in the EU & the UK.

Read the Terms of Reference for National Correspondents for the DataCare project’s second phase.




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