C Explanatory memorandum
by Ms Françoise Hetto-Gaasch, rapporteur
1 Introduction
1. For many parents, the arrival
of a baby and the first two years can be a bumpy ride. From the
moment of conception, a period of upheaval and potential begins
for the new parents. They must reorganise their lives, redefine
their priorities and adjust the balance between their private and
professional lives. These profound changes must not be made against
the child’s best interests, which must be protected unconditionally
and in keeping with the rights enshrined in the International Convention
on the Rights of the Child. This is the parents’ responsibility.
A responsibility they share with the public authorities. Most of
our countries have sought to develop careful policies to achieve
this balance. We must do more and invest massively for the good
of our communities.
2. The complexity of family policies is undeniable given the
variety of situations. Over the years, many of our member States
have managed to introduce generous measures which provide services
of a very high standard. Beyond their immediate results, the State
expects them to shape well-balanced, responsible citizens. The success
of family policies depends on the joint efforts of the various stakeholders
involved in children’s development. In order to make a success of
this, we parliamentarians need to shape the vision behind the reform
and clarify the roles of all concerned: professionals, parents and
public authorities.
3. The Council of Europe defends the rights of the children and
supports their inclusion in the society. It helps to strengthen
public policies in line with international law. Through the European
Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5) and the case law of the European
Court, it watches over them. Under the authority of the Steering
Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF), the Children’s Rights
Division helps to develop expertise in the best interests of our
children. And the European Revised Social Charter (ETS No. 163) provides
additional protection, including against all forms of negligence.
4. In July 2019, I tabled with a group of parliamentarians a
motion for a resolution entitled “Best interests of the child and
policies to ensure a work-life balance”. The motion was referred
to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
for report on 30 September 2019 and I was appointed rapporteur on
2 October 2019. The aim, from the perspective of the best interests
of the child, was to review policies on parental leave, flexible
working hours and place of work, special working arrangements, unpaid
leave for family reasons, childcare arrangements and so on. The
advances made in these areas should be seen in the light of international
and European standards that guarantee children equal opportunities,
a decent standard of living and social, legal and economic protection.
In particular, they must meet the specific needs of the most vulnerable
children, including migrant children, and protect them from discrimination
based on gender and disability.
5. The Covid-19 crisis has served as a reminder of the central
role the family plays in children’s upbringing. Our children must
feel loved, safe and secure, and grow up harmoniously to become
responsible members of society. I therefore call on the Parliamentary
Assembly to remain vigilant and to ensure that the standards which
the Council of Europe defends are applied. Upholding the best interests
of the child must continue to guide us in the ongoing improvement
of public policies to ensure a work-life balance.
2 Developments in family policy: successes
and shortcomings
6. In response to shifts in European
societies, family policies have undergone profound upheavals through wide-reaching
and fast-paced reforms that have reaped slow but considerable rewards.
For example, although the principle of legal equality between spouses
was established in national laws at a relatively early stage, it has
only recently gained traction in practice. Parental leave for spouses
on the birth of a child has also been introduced, even if it is
not always applied evenly across all the social classes and professions.
A helping hand from the authorities to make it more attractive should
encourage better sharing of household tasks between the parents.
These policies have helped to change the way society considers women.
The father’s role has also changed and grown.
Note Effective equality between the parents
is progressing and the whole community is adapting. For a long time,
such policies were primarily geared towards boosting national birth
rates, but their scope has now widened.
7. As society develops, businesses have replaced families in
creating wealth. Policies have expanded to include efforts to reconcile
the interests of the parents with those of business by facilitating
professional activity while supporting the development of family
units through financial and non-financial benefits and tax reductions.
This progress in reconciling work and private life should be welcomed.
In this connection, it should be noted that the Council of Europe
Gender Equality Strategy 2018-2023 underlines the social significance
of maternity and paternity leave and requires that the role of both
parents in children’s upbringing be taken into consideration to
ensure that both women’s and men’s human rights are fully and equally
respected.
Note
8. We must continue with these changes. Our countries have taken
on specific commitments with the United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals. Goal 4 calls on the authorities to “Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for
all”
Note Everyone must have
access to the services provided for the very young, particularly
those who are most vulnerable and fragile in any way.
9. Family policies must encourage the emancipation of women and
the sharing of responsibility by fathers in keeping with United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality
and empower all women and girls.”
Note Attention should also be given to
the valuable role played by all those who look after young children
within the extended family. This could include leave for grandparents
who look after their grandchildren when they are unwell, for example.
10. Universal access to childcare not only benefits parents but
also gives work to childcare professionals. Research has shown that
children can feel neglected in certain circumstances. Quebec assessed
its childcare policy for the very young in 1997. Significant increases
in stress were measured in children from 2 to 4 years of age. The
stress did not disappear as they grew older. In some cases, it grew
worse. The dilemma of balancing the parents’ needs with those of
their children must be given consideration.
Note We must do everything in our power
to develop win-win policies.
11. Far too many children still do not get to spend enough time
with their parents. Some parents actually delegate their roles through
choice or obligation, and for various reasons the work-life balance
continues to tip towards the professional career. A study by Ohio
State University
Note found that although 20% of parents
benefit from flexible working times, a large number have no such
arrangements. Not all women and men have access to flexible working
arrangements. Until recently, the right to work from home was above
all granted to those in the highest positions and mainly to women.
Note In the United
Kingdom, nearly a third of women felt penalised on returning to
work after maternity leave. Many women are obliged to set aside
their careers in order to look after their children. Our professional
lives are increasingly encroaching on our home lives and as politicians,
we have allowed this situation to become the new normal.
12. Despite the reforms that have taken place, society seems to
systematically prioritise work over family life, particularly for
men. For many children, evenings and weekends are no different from
weekdays as their parents are working. Parents should be given the
option of working fewer hours per week (for example France’s “time
savings account” system that allows employees to take time off in
lieu) so that they can choose whether to play a greater role in
caring for their children during early childhood or later on. The
lockdown period certainly brought many families closer together,
obliged as they were to organise their days around one another.
It would be interesting to learn from successful experiences and
advocate these through appropriate policies. At the same time, we
have witnessed an increase in conflicts within the family, mental
health problems and domestic violence. Lessons must be learnt in
order to cushion the impact of future crises.
13. In spite of the considerable amounts of public money mobilised,
policy on early childhood remains ill-structured. Responsibility
is shared between different levels of authority. It is difficult
to reconcile the parents’ interests, long-term ambitions and the
organisation of the professionals involved. Over the last twenty
years, public authorities (at national, regional and local level)
have created more and more nurseries to cater for a level of demand
that continues to exceed supply. Regrettably, this spending seems
to have coincided with a move towards a cheaper, less generous regulatory
and organisational approach to the care provided.
14. The long-term existence of certain facilities that look after
very young children depends all too often on insecure jobs, often
held by women, with no regard for the needs of children, who sometimes
lack male role models with whom to identify. This decision, assumed
by the public authorities which organise and finance day-care centres,
leads to a regular turnover in staff which can be disturbing for
the children. To avoid having to deal subsequently with the consequences
of under-stimulated children lost in society and deprived of sentimental
ties, a sound framework of trust is needed. This means hiring qualified
childcare workers, investing in staff training and ensuring the
provision of quality care.
15. The aim here is not to compare the various methods applied
in the different member States. Each country has chosen the solutions
it believed best corresponded to its history and traditions. Some
chose kindergartens while others preferred early schooling. No one
solution is better than the others. What we should focus on is the
quality of the care, in terms of staffing and opening hours. We
have often made the mistake of attaching too much importance to
the cost alone. Regarding childcare, let us first look at its quality
based on the rate of supervisors per children, as well as the total
reception hours. All this, while also keeping in mind the obligation
to appoint a supervisor and to specify the maximum allotted time
for the child to remain in the facility.
16. In response to the parents’ needs and the authorities’ aims,
childcare professionals accompany children towards becoming independent.
Child psychiatrist Françoise Dolto endeavoured to create a favourable environment
to prepare children gently and gradually for the transition from
family to school.
Note All nurseries, be they private, public,
or voluntary, should share that aim. This responsibility means more
than just keeping the children occupied while their parents are
at work. Providing quality care requires proper training, as well
as the involvement of practitioners and specialists. The professional’s
role is to prevent the early onset of the emotional disturbances
caused when children are taken away from their families too abruptly.
The participation of mothers and fathers is to be encouraged. It
is reassuring both for the parents and for the children. Unfortunately,
employers do not always facilitate this involvement of the parents.
17. The debate about the duration of parental leave at the national
and European levels is an interesting one. Women generally want
much more flexible arrangements than men regarding working hours.
Finland increased parental leave from 12.7 to 14 months. Each parent
has the right to 164 days off and a maximum of 69 days can be transferred
from one parent to the other. When implementing this reform, the
Finnish authorities took on board the makeup of modern families
by allowing a single parent to benefit from the full quota allocated to
two-parent families.
18. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD)
Note four out of five children grow up
in a traditional nuclear family: the proportion of children living
with unmarried parents has risen from 10 to 15% over the last decade.
The makeup of the modern family has become extremely diverse and increasingly
varied (for example with parents living in different towns, shared
custody, or same-sex parents). It is not unusual for a child to
live in a number of different family environments during childhood.
This is the reality that public policies must take into account
from now on, otherwise they will not fulfil their essential mission
in the best possible way, or policies will be applied without due
consideration for particular circumstances. Policy aims must be
both general and specific to cater for as many situations as possible.
19. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed perceptions of working hours,
which have been reorganised, disrupting regular work habits – although
not necessarily to the advantage of parents (particularly mothers)
and their children.
Note Closing
day-care centres will have affected not only children’s development,
disrupting their learning and their social life, but also the psychological
well-being of their parents.
Note
3 The
role of families, the State and professionals in children’s development
20. Without experience, parents
have to improvise and adapt their organisation out of necessity.
They are often at their wits’ end and need outside help. Balancing
work and life is essential. Parents’ commitment to the success of
a child’s early years requires making a series of difficult choices.
In many Council of Europe member states, parents are not free to
choose their preferred childcare option.
21. The parents’ role is central. In order to develop their social,
emotional and cognitive learning, children need a strong bond that
makes them feel secure. The timing of parent-child interactions
plays a vital role. They react to speech, expressions, touch. To
establish such a bond, adults need time, as well as physical and emotional
closeness. You have to talk to a baby, respond to its signals, listen
to it, play with it, kiss it. All this contributes to its socio-emotional
and cognitive development. The amount of time parents and children
spend together is one of the things that determine the quality of
the bond, which in turn provides the basis for harmonious development.
22. Excessive exposure to computer or phone screens and its adverse
effects on children's development, especially at an early age, is
often linked to that of parents.
Note Screens replace dialogue, fun activities
and games that can help develop children’s imagination and language
skills. They can even alter their behaviour. We need to invest in
preventive measures to warn parents of these risks. They have an
important role to play. The sanitary crisis has highlighted some
recent phenomena. We must recognise that “lockdowns contributed to
the radicalisation of screen addictions,” says child psychiatrist
Richard Delorme.
Note
23. The Assembly has had the opportunity to examine the joint
responsibility of the father. It invited the member States to do
everything in their power to stop perpetuating the stereotyped roles
in the private and family sphere and give greater recognition to
the father’s place in a child’s life, including after a divorce.
24. The purpose of policy making is to help parents in this exercise
rather than seek to replace them. It provides the framework and
the means. To guide parents, Germany has introduced a nationwide
network of parental counsellors, called
Elternbegleiter.
Note Italy adopted a similar course of
action in 2012 when it introduced the
Fiocchi
in Ospedale scheme providing psychosocial support in
maternity wards. This best practice is designed to support future
parents before their baby is born and during the early years, catering
to their individual needs. The professionals’ role is also to state
the obvious: the need for a healthy lifestyle, a suitable environment
and the right amount of sleep for the child’s age. It is also true
that, above all, parents need time to take advantage of these parental
training programmes. They do not have enough time to take part in
their children’s education to prevent and correct certain behavioural
problems.
4 Best
interests of the child
25. Early childhood is a very important
stage; 85% of brain development happens during the first five years of
life. As the
Ensemble pour l’éducation (Together
for Education)
Note group has observed, early childhood
is both the most promising age in life and also the most vulnerable.
Early childhood should be a national issue that transcends all political
and professional divides to ensure the necessary quality of services
that foster the harmonious development of our children and reinforce
the emotional bonding required for their well-being. To achieve
this, we in the legislature need to collect information, analyse
best practices that help achieve clear aims, assess the impact of
reform and gather feedback. Our policies must consider the challenges
our societies face and ensure the best interests of the child are
respected while leaving parents free to choose how to live their
lives. Balanced participation of women and men in political and
public decision making on this issue is crucial to ensure its relevance
and effectiveness.
26. Child psychiatrist Karl Heinz Brisch
Note considers this bonding the most important
principle for a child’s healthy development. According to him, 25%
of children feel insecure. If those closest to the baby do not respond
to its signals, they are making it clear to the child that it must
overcome its insecurity on its own. This makes the child downplay
its need for attention and affection, but deep down it still feels
insecure.
27. Neuroscientists believe that the presence and involvement
of parents (or of another close guardian) are necessary for the
child’s harmonious development. In this context, the responsibility
for children’s upbringing lies above all with the parents, who are
the family’s authority figures and perceived as persons of trust
by the child. Unfortunately, many parents clearly do not have the
requisite time or skills to accompany their children. I believe
that parents should receive more encouragement to become involved.
We need employment policies that respect families’ commitments and
provide help and support.
28. The best interests of the child are of paramount importance
for the Council of Europe: because of their extreme vulnerability,
children must be given absolute priority whatever the circumstances.
Note They are central to all its work
to safeguard and develop the rights of the children of today, who
are destined to be the adults of tomorrow. Through the standards
and tools developed, the best interests of the child must guide
efforts to meet children’s needs while respecting their rights and
personality. Family policies should be devised with this principle
in mind to allow each child the opportunity to develop. The Council
of Europe is fully committed to ensuring that children have the
effective right to equal opportunities. This aim will probably still
occupy a high place in the organisation’s strategy on children’s
rights for the period 2022-2027.
5 Strengthening
equal opportunities for children
29. In spite of recent improvements
resulting from public policies, a number of challenges remain to
be met if our societies are to ensure proper protection and prioritise
the best interests of the child. As noted in the Council of Europe’s
Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021),
Note “The family, whatever its form, is
the fundamental unit of society and the natural environment for
the growth and well-being of children [...] Families can, however,
be confronted with numerous challenges: the economic crisis has
exposed many families to unemployment and insecurity about the future.
Reconciling work and family life remains difficult for many parents
and in particular for single parents, who are mostly women.”
30. Of all the obstacles to equal opportunities, poverty is the
greatest.
Note Although
poverty has significantly declined in Europe, the number of children
exposed to extreme poverty has risen. The situation is worrying, and
the Assembly will soon have a fresh opportunity to address the issue.
Note As the European Commission noted
in its 2013 Recommendation,
Note it is important
to prevent the transmission of poverty across generations, and “investing
in children [to break] the cycle of disadvantage” is therefore necessary. The
role of public policy here is to provide assistance adapted to the
needs of vulnerable children, including specific protection for children
living in poverty, those with a disability, those suffering from
discrimination and migrant children. Member States have sought to
enhance the protection of vulnerable children through a variety
of projects including a guaranteed minimum income in Cyprus, an
aid package for single mothers in Belgium, a benefit for disadvantaged
children from Denmark’s Social Investment Fund, an adjustment to
the conditions for receiving income support in France as additional
help to single mothers along with a back-to-work support scheme,
or programmes for preventing the intergenerational transmission
of poverty.
Note
31. Measures in favour of early childhood must support equality
of opportunity. In Germany, all children from the age of one until
they enter primary school have a legal right to care and pre-school
education, in a childcare facility or at home.
Note In Luxembourg a 20-hour multilingual
education programme is offered free of charge to all children aged
one to three attending a collective childcare facility. Between
the ages of three and four all children can attend early education
free of charge, which allows children to familiarise themselves
with the Luxembourgish language and facilitates literacy in German.
There are also supports for parents in need, in the form of service
vouchers. In general, complementing targeted measures with a comprehensive
early childhood care and education policy helps to offer equal opportunities
to all children. Subsidies for early childhood services make them
more accessible and affordable for the poorest families and help
to avoid inequalities.
6 The
first 1 000 days
32. The first 1 000 days are when
the most spectacular development of the brain takes place. This
period begins shortly before birth and ends around the age of two.
Young children have a need for social stimuli, such as faces and
facial expressions; the body, touch and contact; and a voice they
recognise. At 7 months, a baby is already aware of belonging to
a group. At 18 months, a child knows how to help. And between 12
and 15 months, it becomes aware of itself and acquires thinking
skills. It is a period during which children need quality care.
33. The first 1 000 days are a subject of extensive research,
particularly in neuroscience and educational science. Researchers
see them as an opportunity for multidisciplinary interventions to
come together to protect the best interests of the child. It is
a risk-based approach but framed by assumptions that strengthen protections.
34. By taking responsibility for the first 1 000 days, the member
States would be placing early childhood high on their list of priorities
and guaranteeing a high level of protection of the child’s best
interests. Family policy should be a national issue that transcends
all political and professional divides to ensure an effective contribution
to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 1, 3, 4, 10 and 11
Note). Be it to identify
early interventions or preventive practices, the first 1 000 days
are about children’s needs and helping their families. They are
a time for cognitive and emotional development and they shed light
on interactions.
35. This strategy, supported by the World Health Organization
(WHO), is fully in line with its definition of health.
Note The provisions broadly encompass
the needs of children and parents, including those in vulnerable or
special situations (disability, parental depression, premature birth,
etc.). Because of the child’s extreme plasticity and exceptional
learning capacity, early action, however minor, is proportionally
much more effective. Psychiatrists have shown that this support
can prevent the onset of traumas and inequalities.
36. In Norway,
NoteNote early action consists of inclusive
pedagogical programmes. It is one of the only countries in Europe
to guarantee every child a place in a nursery. Opening hours are
adjusted to the parents’ timetables. In Portugal, since 2008 particular
attention has been given to the most vulnerable, to avoid discrimination.
As a result, only 1% of children attend special education institutions.
37. Denmark has made considerable efforts to take care of parents
and their babies even during pregnancy. Well before their baby is
born, parents receive very useful information about breastfeeding,
additional foods, vaccinations, medical examinations, the best position
for the baby to sleep in, accident prevention, the harm smoking
can do. There are even nurses who visit them at home to advise and
assist them. The State pays low-income families an allowance to
help parents maintain a decent standard of living and boost their
confidence in society. Nurseries are open up to 50 hours a week
to allow for parents’ working hours. In this way, 90% of children
between one and two years of age attend nurseries. In the Netherlands,
the local authorities cater on a universal basis for parents’ needs
in terms of health and welfare. This strategy is gaining ground
in other countries, including the United Kingdom, France and the
United States.
38. In France, President Macron has made “the first 1 000 days”
one of the priorities of his presidency. Announced as a “new Pact
for children”, the aims of the strategy are to prevent harm to the
child’s best interests from the very beginning of the pregnancy;
to combat all forms of violence; to guarantee that everyone’s rights are
respected; and to provide better protection for children. A team
of 18 experts chaired by neuropsychiatrist Boris Cyrulnik was set
up in September 2019. It handed in its report in September 2020.
The method proposed is cross-cutting. It is an “approach centred
on children’s needs, their abilities and the conditions of their psychological,
emotional, cognitive and social development”. It also focuses on
“the child’s whole environment, and in particular the parents, the
extended family, peers and elders, professionals, and the responsibility
of society to take care of children and support their parents.” The
findings of this team, which drew on other international experiences,
are to be published.
39. The European Union has entered the early childhood sector
in no uncertain terms with its new “pillar of social rights”. It
presented its strategy in February 2021
Note and supports the consensus most favourable
to children, to help them “grow, learn and develop.” In December
2020, it published a “toolkit for early childhood education and
care (ECEC).” It lists examples of good practice for delivering
very high quality, inclusive services to parents and children. It
also sets out guidelines for member States indicating the level
of quality to be attained: services are available, accessible and
affordable; well-qualified staff are available in sufficient number,
benefit from quality initial education and training and continuing
professional development; provision of ECEC is framed by a pedagogical
framework which respects the abilities of every child, supports
their well-being; governance of the ECEC systems is organised efficiently
to respond to the needs of all children and families; and lastly,
monitoring and regular evaluations are in place so that reviews
can be carried out and improvements made over time based on an empirical
approach and on the experience and satisfaction of those involved.
40. On 15 December 2020, EuroChild and other civil society organisations
launched the “First Years, First Priority” campaign. Neuroscience
research reveals that the first 1 000 days affect the child’s whole
life. These associations regret that certain public policies do
not place the best interests of the child at the heart of their action
and do not adopt an active strategy against inequalities. The campaign
also concerns the most vulnerable among us: Roma, children with
disabilities, migrants and refugees, and those who live in extreme poverty.
For these civil society stakeholders, the health crisis is a rare
opportunity to change the system. It should oblige our countries
to take ambitious steps to combat poverty and inequalities.
Note
7 Investing
in early childhood
41. We must clearly give our children
priority in our investments. Children born into an unstable environment find
it harder than others to pass through the different ages. By making
this our priority, we could prevent many unpleasant situations.
According to a recent study often cited by UNICEF, the rate of return
on investment in early childhood could be as high as 13.7%.
Note Investing in early childhood is a societal
choice: it requires widespread support. In connection with the “Early
Moments Matter” campaign,
Note UNICEF has launched an appeal to
national governments and private sector partners. The purpose is
to invest urgently in services which offer young children, especially
the poorest among them, the best possible start in life; to extend
access to effective early childhood development services that cover
the essential needs in homes, schools, community structures and
health care establishments; to make early childhood policies a national
priority and involve the private sector; to collect data on key
early childhood development indicators and monitor progress; to
provide a special framework for early childhood programmes and more
effective co-ordination of initiatives across the different sectors;
to stimulate demand for quality early childhood services.
42. UNICEF’s aim is that parents and people with children in their
care have the time and support they need to bring up happy, healthy
children. This campaign calls for at least six months’ paid leave
for both parents; spaces set aside for breastfeeding and paid breaks
for mothers who go back to work; affordable, accessible, high-quality
childcare services; and permanent allowances to help all families
with children.
43. The OECD has conducted a vast international survey
Note of 7 000 five-year-old children in
Estonia, the United States and the United Kingdom. Its conclusions
are crystal clear. “Strong early learning and well-being is the
best investment families and governments can make to ensure success
at an individual and system level.” The survey adds that children’s
early skills are highly predictive of their later well-being and
success in education and employment. The information collected mainly
concerned preliminary data on literacy, maths, self-control and
socio-emotional skills. It made it possible to measure the results
of public policies on their general well-being; their satisfaction
in life; their physical and mental health; their level of education;
their attitude to work, money, socio-economic status and citizenship.
44. Beyond the economic advantage of the decision to invest massively
in early childhood, this success is very gratifying on a personal
scale. It helps young infants to find the resources they need for
their inner security and their basic trust in life itself. This
is useful luggage when starting out in life, developing one’s social confidence
and building a balanced personality more resilient to frustrations
and traumas.
8 Conclusions
45. “It is easier to build strong
children than to repair broken men”, said Frederick Douglass back
in the 19th century.
Note That statement is just as true
today. Offering every child a good start in life should be our guiding light
in a broken world where millions of children spend their early years
in deplorable conditions.
Note
46. Under America’s 1 900 billion dollar stimulus package, President
Biden
Note has made provision for permanent
monthly family allowances and the building of numerous affordable
nurseries and childcare structures.
Note The plan calls
for more visits to parents and the monitoring of vulnerable children
by specialists and officials, in order to guarantee their protection
and their harmonious development.
47. Europe has less ground to make up when it comes to investing
in early childhood.
Note It
nevertheless needs to guarantee absolute protection of children’s
best interests. The matter of the outcome of the health crisis should
enable us also to anticipate a qualitative leap in our family policies.
To achieve that goal, the different levels of public authority,
parents and stakeholders will have to join forces. Enabling children
to reach their full potential is a challenging goal. We know it
is a profitable, responsible, ecological investment.
48. The first 1 000 days should spread to all the member States.
I shall refer mainly to the findings of the team of 18 French experts:
- Investing massively in our children’s
future gives us hope. We must protect the most vulnerable children. Taking
their fragilities into account means not stigmatising their environment
or their living conditions. The authorities need to improve the
diagnosis of perinatal depressions: provide support on the different aspects
of parenthood; provide better treatment to psychologically disturbed
young children; look out for signs of domestic violence; assist
parents with disabilities or parents of children with disabilities;
and identify families in greatest need.
- Without sufficient resources, we will not be able to meet
the needs. The aim is to give parents more time or create conditions
for them to find the time; to build childcare facilities; to reduce
social inequalities; and to prepare the future of our communities.
- According to the theory of change, reforms must be continuously
assessed and monitored in order to contribute to the continuing
improvement of policy and the revision of national strategies at
regular intervals. That also means allocating sufficient resources
to university research.
49. I can only welcome the new strategy the Council of Europe
is preparing on the rights of the child. Equality of opportunity
and inclusion should remain at the heart of our Organisation’s priorities
for the period 2022-2027.
50. Parents and professionals who look after children play a key
role in their development and their physical, mental, and psychological
well-being. They must provide the security and love children need
for their growth. As the
Tages Anzeiger in
Switzerland suggested,
Note “Mix that with a good dose of common
sense, intuition and reflection and there is little chance of getting
it wrong.” The State must create the right conditions for adults
to assume their role and support their children’s development under
the best possible circumstances. In protecting children from sickness,
poverty, and lack of affection through widespread and lasting investment
in family policies, States are sure to reap the economic and social
benefits and build solid foundations for a peaceful and prosperous
future.
