Ensure Universal Access to Maternal Healthcare in the European Union

A mother’s own physical and mental health and wellbeing can affect a child’s physical and cognitive development. Adversity during pregnancy and the first years of life can predict adversity across generations. The Child Guarantee’s commitment to increased access to healthcare for children in need must also include universal access to quality healthcare during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-partum period, as prerequisites for maternal and child health and wellbeing.

Our Recommendations

EU Member States must:

Include universal access to maternal, newborn and child healthcare and parent friendly care provisions in their Child Guarantee Action Plans
Strive to achieve and provide Universal Health Coverage to all, as defined by the WHO, guaranteeing pre- and post-natal care for all women and children
Education and Care services for children under the age of three
Provide accurate and clear maternal health information, with a special focus onthe needs of migrant, Roma and other women in vulnerable situations
Guarantee privacy of information about the migration status of pregnant womenand ensure that immigration status is not a barrier to accessing healthcare services
Prioritise investment in easily accessible medical facilities, maternal supportprogrammes, and training of health professionals based on best practice
Invest in maternal mental health services, including prevention, screening and support programme

Prioritising the professionalisation of early childhood education and care staff

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services for children under six years of age play a fundamental role in laying strong foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing, especially in the first three years of life. Quality ECEC services can make an extraordinary difference in children’s lives, especially for the most disadvantaged. Research indicates that children from vulnerable groups derive even greater benefit from high-quality ECEC than their peers from more advantaged families.

Our Recommendations:

Promote the societal value of ECEC services and ECEC profession
Establish a minimum standard of qualification accompanied by opportunities for career development for ECEC staff working with children under three years of age
Track data on ECEC staff qualifications and define targets for the levels of qualification of ECEC staff working in ECEC services, especially those working with children under three years of age
Define aligned competence profiles across different categories of ECEC staff to ensure high-quality service provision
Implement policies and mechanisms that bring more diversity in the ECEC workforce (gender, cultural background, etc.)
Increase investments for improving the ECEC staff working conditions (child-adult ratio, child-free time, renumeration, working environment)

Child Participation

The child participation guarantees children rights and suppose that children not only share their opinions freely, but also they are active participants in community and social processes, related to child-adult bonding, to acquire communication competence and to empower children.

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Opening Doors for Europe’s Children

The Opening Doors for Europe’s Children campaign aims to support national efforts to develop child protection systems that strengthen families and ensure high-quality family and community-based alternative care for children, by leveraging EU funding and policy and building capacity in civil society.

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Chapter: Children help movement against physical threatening and emotional repression

Following the best practices in Iceland, the project aims to pilot comprehensive program of care in 3 countries – Bulgaria, Portugal, Cyprus in direction of recognition and empowerment of children and their parents and authorities leaving out the position of inert following the pattern of violence and initiate a process of self-awareness of personal own value of the youngest members of our society.

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