1. Julius op de Beke DG EMPL, Unit D2
How the ESF can help with implementation of the Investing in Children REC
Julius op de Beke
DG EMPL, Unit D2

2. Child Friendly Social Investment Package
Social Investment for Growth and Cohesion - including implementing the ESF (COMM)
Investing in Children - Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage (REC)
Plus 6 other CSWDs on active inclusion, homelessness, Roma, health, LTC, services of general interest and ESF implementation

3. The case for a life course approach and early intervention
Source: Heckman (2008)

4. Children particularly hit by the crisis
Share of children at risk of poverty or social exclusion

5. Various child poverty drivers across the EU
Source: EU-SILC 2010, calculation (DG EMPL

6. Horizontal principles of the REC
Take an approach based on children's rights (UNCRC, EU Treaty and Charter of Fundamental Rights)
Maintain a balance between universal and targeted approaches (e.g. progressive universalism)
Sustain investment in children and families and mitigate the negative impact of the austerity reforms on the most disadvantaged.

7. Pillar 1 : ensure access to a job and to adequate living standards
Support parents' access to the labour market (policies that are eligible for ESF support)
make sure that work 'pays' for them
support child care, parental leave, working time flexibility
improve access to early childhood education and care (affordability, diverse working patterns)
Avoid working poor, provide adequate income support (e.g. family/child benefits, part of national measures)
avoid inactivity traps, stigmatisation
ensure redistribution across income groups

8. Pillars 2 and 3: Access to quality services and participation
Step up access to quality services that are essential to children's outcomes (also relevant for ESF support):
better access to early childhood education and care (esp. under 3)
eliminating school segregation
health, housing, social services (alternative care and parenting support)
Support children's participation (also relevant for ESF support)
extra-curricular activities
involvement in services and decisions affecting children (e.g. social services, education, alternative care)

9. Lack of access to childcare prevents parents from working and reinforces the transmission of disadvantage

10. Strategic orientation through Europe 2020
Examples of CSRs proposed by the Commission on 29 May based on National Reform Programmes:
Child poverty/income support measures (BG, EE, HU, IT, RO, LV, UK)
Social services for children/de-institutionalisation (BG, RO)
ECEC and childcare (AT, CZ, DE, EE, ES, HU, IT, MT, PL, UK, SK, RO)
Inclusive education/combating early school leaving (AT, BG, CZ, HU, ES, IT, MT, PL, SK)
Adoption foreseen early July 2013

11. Monitoring within the social OMC
SPC: child poverty report of June 2012 provided input for the REC
SPC: child poverty and social exclusion as a "trend to watch" in second semester of 2013 (peer review, will feed into SPC Annual Social Report)
Report of Network of Independent Experts on Social Inclusion (end of 2013) with individual country profiles
Indicators Subgroup of the SPC will look at data situation for vulnerable children
Progress report Barcelona targets on childcare (slow progress for children <3, accessibility and affordability remain problematic)

12. Enhance the knowledge base
European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) to collect and disseminate innovative "evidence based" practices, see
Test the effectiveness of conditional cash transfers and their impact on children (PROGRESS study, early 2014)
Social policy experimentation projects with a focus on quality childcare services (evaluation on-going)
Testing and setting the ground for a large scale longitudinal survey on children (FP7, start end of 2013)
Project about families in the economic crisis, accessing childcare services in Europe (Eurofound)

13. Mobilising EU Funding 2014-2020
European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund (see below)
Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD)
Programme for Social Change and Innovation (PSCI), successor to PROGRESS
Other relevant funds: Erasmus for All Programme, School Fruit and School Milk Schemes, Horizon (research) 13

14. New opportunities for the ESF
20% earmarking for social inclusion (now 16%)
Stronger link to Europe 2020 and the CSRs
Emphasis on Early Childhood Education and Care
Role of ex ante conditionalities, focus on:
- Access to employment
- Transition from institutional to alternative community and family based care
- Combatting early school leaving
- Active inclusion of marginalised Roma communities

15. Feasible ESF interventions
- Support (single) parents with job search and training, and child care
- Facilitate reconciliation between work and family life
- Address inequality/early school leaving with access to affordable high quality ECEC
- Provide opportunities for informal learning and participation in after school activities
- Support social innovation and policy experimentation
- Support social economy and social enterprises

16. Current examples of good practices
UK: Reach the Heights (comprehensive family support)
FR: La Balle au Bond (affordable quality care for <3)
LT: Working for Welfare of the Family (reconciliation)
UK: Young Mums Will Achieve (job search and training)
BE: Parenting Support Shops (child care and pedagogical advise)
RO, HU, SK: A Good Start (provide quality ECEC)
RO: Equality in Education (integrate Roma and non-Roma children avoiding segregation)
BG: For Our Children (support placement of institutionalised children in foster families)
CY: Outreach and Street Work in Yios Dhometios (preventing school-drop-out)

17. Relevant Investment priorities in the CSF and examples of interventions
Objective 8: Promoting employment and supporting labour mobility ( preventive ALMPs, targeted personalised services and training, outplacement)
Objective 9: Promoting social inclusion and combating poverty (integrated pathways, modernisation of social protection systems to improve efficiency and adequacy)
Objective 10: Investing in education, skills and lifelong learning (ECEC, reduce early school leaving, second chance schools, quality assurance ICT, transition of disabled children to mainstream schools)

18. Conclusions
1/ The co-funding of possibilities of the ESF are crucial for a successful implementation of the REC. 2/ Early investment in human capital makes good economic sense, the onset of ageing requires that everybody who can becomes or remains active on our labour markets. 3/ Our future welfare state is at stake: every child that does not turn into a future tax payer will instead become a drain on our welfare state.

19. Thank you for your attention