Empowering Local and Regional Authorities in Integrated Child Protection Systems
SEDEC-VII/048
Empowering Local and Regional Authorities in Integrated Child Protection Systems
To feed into the drafting of the Commission's recommendation on the development and strengthening of integrated child protection systems within the EU, which is a priority initiative of the Commission's work programme for 2024 and is due to be released in spring;
To promote the expertise of local and regional authorities in the development and implementation of integrated child protection systems;
To provide valuable insights into the practical challenges and opportunities for improvement in child protection at local and regional levels.
To advocate for respecting the subsidiarity principle in this field and ensuring that EU actions in child protection complement rather than replace local and regional efforts;
To ensure that the child protection systems are inclusive and equitable;
To acknowledge the importance of recognizing and addressing the intersectional nature of child protection issues in policy development;
To promote meaningful child participation in decision-making processes related to child protection.
To promote the expertise of local and regional authorities in the development and implementation of integrated child protection systems;
To provide valuable insights into the practical challenges and opportunities for improvement in child protection at local and regional levels.
To advocate for respecting the subsidiarity principle in this field and ensuring that EU actions in child protection complement rather than replace local and regional efforts;
To ensure that the child protection systems are inclusive and equitable;
To acknowledge the importance of recognizing and addressing the intersectional nature of child protection issues in policy development;
To promote meaningful child participation in decision-making processes related to child protection.
On 23 April 2024, the European Commission (EC) adopted its "Recommendation on developing and strengthening integrated child protection systems in the best interests of the child", which was the focus of the CoR Opinion on the same topic. Several proposals from the CoR Opinion are then present in the EC Recommendation, as a token of the substantial impact the CoR work had on the final EC Recommendation. It is worth mentioning the following main aspects:
The EC recognized that the responsibility for child protection is shared among a wide range of actors at all levels of governance. It added that these systems have to be designed according to different needs, including based on decentralization level to make child protection systems more integrated and robust, as also suggested in the CoR opinion. The EC recommended that systems should be context-specific, child-centred and implemented at the most appropriate level of governance, as also asked by the CoR.
The Opinion stressed the need to develop exemplary approaches aimed at strengthening efforts to protect children and improving their access to essential services and the EC has made specific recommendations echoing this approach.
The Opinion emphasised that child protection overlaps with various issues and that a comprehensive approach is essential to fully address these overlapping issues. The EC's recommendations address different issues such as mental health, poverty, social exclusion, hate crimes, (cyber-)bullying, education, justice, gender-based violence, violence against children, children with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, migrant children, etc. and tackles them jointly in some recommendations.
The Opinion called for multi-level coordination to respond effectively to child protection concerns and the EC took a similar path, especially regarding violence against children and legal proceedings involving children.
The Opinion called for gender issues to be an integral part of child protection policies. The EC integrated this perspective in its recommendations on tackling domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse, gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation and child marriage as well as encouraging a gender-responsive community-based integrated social protection systems in accordance with the Gender Action Plan III and the Strategy for gender equality 2020-25. It also highlighted that the Equality, Rights and Gender Equality strand of CERV programme provides funding opportunities to promote children’s rights and children’s participation, and to combat discrimination faced by certain groups of children.
The Opinion recognised the importance of awareness-raising measures for people who work and volunteer with children in various fields. The EC included this need for awareness-raising and trainings to respond to children’s safety needs in both the physical and digital environment. It also recommended to make trainings compulsory for various relevant sectors.
The Opinion recommended setting up safe spaces within communities that provide children with refuge and support. The EC invites Member-States to foster a safe and inclusive environment in education, including early childhood education and care, and in training, while fighting discrimination and responding to specific vulnerabilities.
The Opinion stressed how important it is to provide resources and to actively take part in initiatives aimed at promoting positive practices for bringing up children, with a particular focus on promoting non-violent forms of discipline and preventing harmful behaviour. The EC encourages Member-States to provide information to the public, including children, their parents and carers, any adults in contact with children across sectors and all relevant stakeholders on the rights and needs of children, on child empowerment, and on preventive and protective measures.
The Opinion reiterated the call for all available resources to be fully used to effectively implement integrated child protection systems. The EC went over a number of EU funding programmes that can cover specific concerns relating to child protection and children’s well-being.
The Opinion underlined how important it is to eradicate all forms of violence, be it physical or mental, against children, both in physical spaces and in the digital world. The EC identified a number of measures regarding this in the fields of digital literacy, (cyber-)bullying, violence against children, sexual abuse, human trafficking, etc.
The Opinion highlighted the importance of taking a long-term approach to guaranteeing child protection, by instituting measures and policies that promote stability and continuity in services for children. The EC calls for a continuity of comprehensive and coordinated services to address children’s needs, especially for children seeking asylum.
The local and regional levels are taken into consideration in a number of specific recommendations (no 4, 19, 26, 69 and 73) in relation with proposed mechanisms, measures and actions, including programming, while the local and regional authorities are considered relevant partners in the implementation and coordination of the proposed measures (recommendations no 23-25). Moreover, the EC Recommendation specifically mentions the CoR Opinion in its Preamble, underlining the emphasis placed on the "crucial need to empower local and regional authorities in integrated child protection system".
A detailed report of the impact the Opinion had on the EC Recoimmendation is included in the European Commission's follow-up to the opinion available at https://cor.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-07/ecfollow-upplenarysessionofapril2024.pdf
The EC recognized that the responsibility for child protection is shared among a wide range of actors at all levels of governance. It added that these systems have to be designed according to different needs, including based on decentralization level to make child protection systems more integrated and robust, as also suggested in the CoR opinion. The EC recommended that systems should be context-specific, child-centred and implemented at the most appropriate level of governance, as also asked by the CoR.
The Opinion stressed the need to develop exemplary approaches aimed at strengthening efforts to protect children and improving their access to essential services and the EC has made specific recommendations echoing this approach.
The Opinion emphasised that child protection overlaps with various issues and that a comprehensive approach is essential to fully address these overlapping issues. The EC's recommendations address different issues such as mental health, poverty, social exclusion, hate crimes, (cyber-)bullying, education, justice, gender-based violence, violence against children, children with disabilities, unaccompanied minors, migrant children, etc. and tackles them jointly in some recommendations.
The Opinion called for multi-level coordination to respond effectively to child protection concerns and the EC took a similar path, especially regarding violence against children and legal proceedings involving children.
The Opinion called for gender issues to be an integral part of child protection policies. The EC integrated this perspective in its recommendations on tackling domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse, gender-based violence, including female genital mutilation and child marriage as well as encouraging a gender-responsive community-based integrated social protection systems in accordance with the Gender Action Plan III and the Strategy for gender equality 2020-25. It also highlighted that the Equality, Rights and Gender Equality strand of CERV programme provides funding opportunities to promote children’s rights and children’s participation, and to combat discrimination faced by certain groups of children.
The Opinion recognised the importance of awareness-raising measures for people who work and volunteer with children in various fields. The EC included this need for awareness-raising and trainings to respond to children’s safety needs in both the physical and digital environment. It also recommended to make trainings compulsory for various relevant sectors.
The Opinion recommended setting up safe spaces within communities that provide children with refuge and support. The EC invites Member-States to foster a safe and inclusive environment in education, including early childhood education and care, and in training, while fighting discrimination and responding to specific vulnerabilities.
The Opinion stressed how important it is to provide resources and to actively take part in initiatives aimed at promoting positive practices for bringing up children, with a particular focus on promoting non-violent forms of discipline and preventing harmful behaviour. The EC encourages Member-States to provide information to the public, including children, their parents and carers, any adults in contact with children across sectors and all relevant stakeholders on the rights and needs of children, on child empowerment, and on preventive and protective measures.
The Opinion reiterated the call for all available resources to be fully used to effectively implement integrated child protection systems. The EC went over a number of EU funding programmes that can cover specific concerns relating to child protection and children’s well-being.
The Opinion underlined how important it is to eradicate all forms of violence, be it physical or mental, against children, both in physical spaces and in the digital world. The EC identified a number of measures regarding this in the fields of digital literacy, (cyber-)bullying, violence against children, sexual abuse, human trafficking, etc.
The Opinion highlighted the importance of taking a long-term approach to guaranteeing child protection, by instituting measures and policies that promote stability and continuity in services for children. The EC calls for a continuity of comprehensive and coordinated services to address children’s needs, especially for children seeking asylum.
The local and regional levels are taken into consideration in a number of specific recommendations (no 4, 19, 26, 69 and 73) in relation with proposed mechanisms, measures and actions, including programming, while the local and regional authorities are considered relevant partners in the implementation and coordination of the proposed measures (recommendations no 23-25). Moreover, the EC Recommendation specifically mentions the CoR Opinion in its Preamble, underlining the emphasis placed on the "crucial need to empower local and regional authorities in integrated child protection system".
A detailed report of the impact the Opinion had on the EC Recoimmendation is included in the European Commission's follow-up to the opinion available at https://cor.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-07/ecfollow-upplenarysessionofapril2024.pdf
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
- highlights the link between child protection and poverty, as poverty and social exclusion can make children more vulnerable to violence;
- underlines the need to give high priority to child-sensitive social protection systems in anticipation of the forthcoming European Commission recommendation on integrated child protection systems;
- calls for EU-funded local and regional information campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the need for an integrated child protection system that prevents violence against children and takes into account economic vulnerability among children, benefiting both society and all children;
- reiterates how important it is, as pointed out in the EU Strategy on the rights of the child, for children to be involved in decisions that affect their lives, and urges the Member States and regions to improve children's participation at all levels by providing suitable resources;
- welcomes the EU Children's Participation Platform, which is an example of good practice for listening and increasing children's participation – for them and with them;
- recognises the crucial role of local and regional authorities in protecting vulnerable children from violence in their communities and stresses the importance of taking community action to protect children and of promoting a zero-tolerance culture for violence against children.
- highlights the link between child protection and poverty, as poverty and social exclusion can make children more vulnerable to violence;
- underlines the need to give high priority to child-sensitive social protection systems in anticipation of the forthcoming European Commission recommendation on integrated child protection systems;
- calls for EU-funded local and regional information campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the need for an integrated child protection system that prevents violence against children and takes into account economic vulnerability among children, benefiting both society and all children;
- reiterates how important it is, as pointed out in the EU Strategy on the rights of the child, for children to be involved in decisions that affect their lives, and urges the Member States and regions to improve children's participation at all levels by providing suitable resources;
- welcomes the EU Children's Participation Platform, which is an example of good practice for listening and increasing children's participation – for them and with them;
- recognises the crucial role of local and regional authorities in protecting vulnerable children from violence in their communities and stresses the importance of taking community action to protect children and of promoting a zero-tolerance culture for violence against children.
