The proposed project will be implemented by 6 European NGOs and a regional Ministry from 6 EU Member States (DE, AT, RO, IT, UK, LT) active in the field of social work and policy, particularly in family education and counselling. In order to successfully attain the social and inclusion objectives of EU 2020 the partners will exchange information on their practices and strategies for fighting poverty innovatively and critically assess achievements from a European perspective. Methods used will focus on cooperative learning and mutual assessment, discussions with specialists, workshops and cross-border transfer of know-how. Activities comprise local/regional workshops with disadvantaged/poor families on the issues if poverty and social exclusion in order to give them a voice in the EU 2020 debate and to enhance active citizenship and participation in all spheres of social, political and economic life. Additionally, the partners will organise regional or local forums with relevant stakeholders from politics, administration and education, in order to discuss the contents of the Europe 2020 strategy and to explore how the strategic objectives can influence specific politics designed for families on site At transnational level, there will be six partner meetings in all partner locations order to exchange good practice on the following issues: 1. What is the significance of the family in Europe today and with regard to the economic crisis and how can family support and education concepts be designed in a manner that provides effective information, promotion and support to families, in particular those from disadvantaged parts of society? 2. What information, education and support can be provided to improve poor families’ financial insecurity? 3. What educational offers and support can be successful to improve practical life skills, enhance key competencies and foster resilience? 4. What concepts can be provided to improve work-life balance and strengthen women within the family, as they traditionally have to shoulder the biggest burden and their wellbeing has direct impact on their children? 5. How can we come up with family education concepts that motivate families to actively participate in local societies and to contribute their ideas to family policy discussions in order to ensure that their interests are effectively represented? 6. What is the meaning of the Europe 2020 strategy for educational work with and integration aid for disadvantaged families and how can it be transferred to specific politics? The project will increase awareness and knowledge about the challenges which families - and notably with fewer opportunities - are facing in the light of the current financial and employment crisis in the EU. Partners want to place more emphasis on the family education and family policy in relation to the Europe 2020 strategy and increase knowledge the different national frameworks that are in place and the latest developments through transnational exchange and dialogue. Sharing of good practice at transnational level will also provide innovative formats and methods for non-formal learning and low-threshold community programmes helping to overcome the vicious circle of poverty and social exclusion. Exchange of good practice and cooperation will support partners and other social service providers to come up with concepts for socially disadvantaged families and children that manage to reach these groups and provide them with effective support The project will increase public understanding that the fight against poverty and the improvement of living conditions for poor families are urgent issues in all EU Member States. In the medium term, the capacities of NGOs to address the depth of the family crisis in the EU will increase and good practices will be scaled up at both the national and international levels ensuring a real impact of interventions. This will help to reduce the risk of poverty and contribute to improved equality, social cohesion and inclusive growth as stipulated in the EU 2020 strategy.
‘We have taken educational work with disadvantaged families to the European level. Our aim in this was to involve as many colleagues as possible in transnational exchanges in order to give them the opportunity to establish European contacts, gain international experience and familiarise themselves with examples of good practice’, said Kinga Hubbes, regional coordinator for social integration at Caritas Alba Iulia in Romania. The project work was centred around professional exchange. A total of 112 mobility actions were carried out under the strategic partnership, with seven organisations from six EU Member States (DE, AT, RO, IT, UK, LT) taking part. Participants in the exchange activities were educational professionals who offer education and counselling services to disadvantaged families in their various localities and have extensive experience in this field. The partners have exchanged information on their practices and strategies for fighting poverty innovatively and critically assess achievements from a European perspective. Methods used focused on cooperative learning and mutual assessment, discussions with specialists, workshops and cross-border transfer of know-how. The central topic of our six 2.5-day, transnational partner meetings held every four months at partner organisations was the topic of education and counselling for poor and socially marginalised families. Experts from science and practitioners were invited to this event, and interesting projects were visited on site. Our aim was to do all we could to create a common European knowledge base through project work. Supplemental to the transnational exchange, each partner also locally organised what are known as ‘family fora’ for disadvantaged parents and single parents. Here, attendees had an opportunity to discuss, provide and receive advice and information on assistance offers around child-rearing, school attendance, vocational training, health promotion, housing, indebtedness and other issues. Initiated as a complement to case-by-case advice, the family fora produced very positive results and helped combat social exclusion. The fora succeeded in reaching more than 600 disadvantaged participants. Above and beyond these, another 180 people (education experts, responsible politicians and public officials, stakeholders, etc.) came into contact with our project. We visited Brussels at the conclusion of the project partnership. Here we had the opportunity to brief Lisette Schermer, Senior Policy Officer for Erasmus+ at the European Commission, on the progress and results of our strategic partnership, and to discuss with her the further development of the programme from 2021 through 2028, particularly with regard to inclusion. Furthermore we discussed with experts from Caritas Europa and from the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN). The transnational partners agreed to continue to apply the family-fora method beyond the end of the project in their advisory and educational work with marginalised families. It was also agreed that the collaboration would continue at the European level, with joint launch of a new project in 2020. Our British partner will also be involved in this, irrespective of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. Barbara Schinnerl, Caritas Upper Austria, states: “From my point of view the whole partnership was a high qualitative international collaboration with a lot of innovative and motivating output. Getting to know other European countries in a professional way that was and is a crucial factor for a united and prospective European strategy. Thanks a lot of making it possible being part of this very important European partnership.” Interested parties can find more information on the project website: www.inclusive-family-education.eu. The content of the transnational partner meetings is documented in detail in eBook form there as well.