Investment in childcare to offset child poverty
EPA/Tomasz Gzell POLAND OUT
In relation to the conference on ‘Investing in Children: Preventing and Tackling Child Poverty and Social Exclusion, Promoting Children’s Well-Being’ organised by the Cyprus EU Presidency, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Eurofound, said that investment in good childcare and parenting support services was to offset rising child poverty and social exclusion in the European Union (EU).
In addition, the EU body said that the social consequences of austerity measures across Europe have had a proportionally more negative impact on the most vulnerable groups in society, resulting in growing forms of child poverty and social exclusion.
According to Eurofound, the debate about work–life balance and the well-being of children had to date focused on issues such as childcare services, flexible work arrangements and child allowances. However, only recently did parenting support and education come to be viewed as ‘a social investment that contributes towards reducing parental stress and helping parents to successfully manage work and family commitments’.
Research of the organisation showed that good parenting skills had a highly positive impact on the physical, emotional and intellectual development of children. Additionally, Eurofound found out that defining clearly what constitutes parenting support, its boundaries and goals was crucial for the successful delivery of services.
Lastly, the body recommended establishment of clear guidelines about the role of services in order for gaps and overlaps in provision to be avoided. from new europeon line
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