Research for EPIC, the European Platform for Investing in Children

  • Refugee child in Slovenia

    Education for Unaccompanied Migrant Children in Europe

    Researchers offer a brief overview of national and school-level approaches to the inclusion of unaccompanied migrant children in formal education systems across EU member states. The policy memo also discusses wider policy responses to the integration of these children into the host societies.

    25 Jul 2018

  • Teacher has students put chairs on desks at end of day

    Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Effectively: A Practical Guide

    This policy memo provides a short resource guide for child-serving organisations to support effective implementation of evidence-based practices. The document is based on a more detailed version of the implementation guide developed in 2016 for the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC).

    25 Jul 2018

  • Poor, sad girl sitting against concrete wall

    Tackling Child Poverty and Social Exclusion in the EU

    Disadvantage in early life can have significant impacts on opportunities later in life. Social policy and welfare initiatives at the national level are still the most significant policy instruments to tackle child poverty.

    11 May 2018

  • Nursery children playing with musical instruments in the classroom

    Supporting Child-Serving Organisations in Effective Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices

    It is important to identify evidence-based practices that have been shown to successfully target the needs of child-serving organisations. Without effective implementation, however, programs are unlikely to succeed. This guide provides research-based information on how to most effectively support programme implementation.

    01 Dec 2016

  • Children wearing school backpacks sit outdoors on grass

    Education of EU Migrant Children in EU Member States

    There are clear disparities in educational performance between EU migrants and non-migrants and expected life chance outcomes. Member states are implementing a number of measures with promising results. Building a strong evidence base could help determine what works when responding to EU-migrant children's educational needs.

    17 Nov 2016

  • Quality and impact of Centre-based Early Childhood Education and Care

    Researchers reviewed current academic and policy debates on issues relating to the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services. They examined the definitions and measurements of childcare quality in EU member states and found that views and understandings on what constitutes quality in ECEC differs across countries and actors involved.

    04 Nov 2016

  • Father carrying daughter on his shoulders by the sea in Cornwall, England

    Do Family Leave Policies in Europe Encourage Paternity Leave?

    A number of interlocking factors affect uptake of leave by fathers, including compensation, the availability of affordable childcare, the flexibility of leave arrangements, gender norms, and cultural expectations.

    20 Oct 2016

  • Maternity leave policies: Trade-offs between labour market demands and health benefits for children

    Maternity and parental leave provision across European Union countries can impact the breastfeeding of babies up to 6-months. Policymakers should consider complementary programmes that will facilitate breastfeeding while women participate in the labour market, for example by promoting company policies that encourage breastfeeding at work.

    12 Oct 2016

  • Children with earth ball

    Education Policies Can Help Migrant Children in EU

    Building relationships between educators and parents of migrant children in the EU, and dedicating more resources to schools with a high concentration of migrants, may help redress disparities in educational outcomes.

    16 Sep 2016

  • Children showing their painted hands

    The Role of the European Social Fund in Supporting Childcare Provision in the European Union

    Formal childcare has many benefits for young children and can also help parents return to work. The European Social Fund (ESF) can help create programs for parents to engage in education, training and employment while providing childcare services for their children.

    25 Apr 2016

  • Children have fun and learn while playing a board-game at the preschool class

    Using Evidence to Strengthen Policies for Investing in Children

    Some approaches to using evidence to inform policies related to children include conducting needs assessments, selecting practices that have shown promise in previous implementation, developing a logic model to help plan a practice and determine if it has achieved its objectives, and conducting or overseeing various types of evaluation including theory-based evaluations and counterfactual impact evaluations. This research explains how to begin the process.

    25 Feb 2016

  • woman playing with toddler

    Breaking the Cycle of Disadvantage: Early Childhood Interventions and Progression to Higher Education in Europe

    In the long term, early childhood education and care (ECEC) can boost the academic abilities of disadvantaged students, thus enabling them to pursue higher studies. Whether ECEC results in increased access to higher education remains to be seen.

    12 Jun 2014

  • Caring for Children in Europe: How Childcare, Parental Leave, and Flexible Working Arrangements Interact in Europe

    Most parents in Europe combine a variety of methods to reconcile their working lives with childcare duties, and their arrangements are related to their preferences, the age of their children, and the labour market opportunities to which they have access.

    12 Jun 2014

  • Social Protection During the Economic Crisis: How Do Changes to Benefits Systems Affect Children?

    The economic crisis and its widespread effects have increased poverty and social exclusion risks, notably through cuts in public spending leading to underinvestment in child-focused policies. However, EU authorities increasingly realise that the austerity measures affecting the expenditure on early intervention and preventive policies may result in greater public spending in the future.

    12 Jun 2014

  • Italian woman and toddler

    Working to improve child policy in Europe

    An introduction to the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC) and the way in which practices are submitted and evaluated for inclusion on the platform.

    23 Aug 2013

  • Parents on sofa cuddling baby daughter

    The time is ripe for evidence-based child policy in the EU

    An overview of the reasons why there is a greater demand for evidence-based child policy in Europe, and things to take into account in using evidence-based information in this area.

    22 Aug 2013

  • children with special education needs

    Support for Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

    In Europe, a political consensus has emerged on the importance of inclusive education, reflected by a general trend towards placement of children with SEN in mainstream education, and away from special schooling.

    17 Jul 2013

  • hands holding paper cutout of family

    Current Developments in Parenting Support in European Member States

    As part of the European Platform for Investing in Children (EPIC), the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion asked RAND Europe to review parenting support initiatives in Europe. The scope, organisation, delivery and funding of parenting support services varies considerably across and within Member States. Nevertheless, a common set of characteristic features of parenting support can be identified in the European context.

    17 Jun 2013