October 2024 to January 2025
The European Association Working for Carers carries out evidence-based advocacy to ensure the needs and experiences of informal carers are reflected in policy development at EU and national levels. It has members across 24 European countries including carer organisations, research institutes and experts.
I reviewed Eurocarers results and impact over the last 3 years and conducted a members survey and focus group consultations resulting in key findings and recommendations.
May 2024 to January 2025
Missing Children Europe is the European federation for missing and sexually exploited children, representing 31 organisations from 27 countries. It aims to prevent harm that can lead to children going missing, and support children and families in cases where children have gone missing.
This review was carried out in the final year of MCE’s 3-year organisational strategy. It focused on four themes: results and impact, membership and governance, people and culture, and sustainability and coherence. It aims to inform the development of a new strategy beyond 2026.
October 2024 to June 2025
The National Network for Children advocates for children’s rights and well-being in Bulgaria. Formerly established in 2006, it now has more than 150 member organisations working with and for children and families throughout the country.
The assignment includes a strategic review (stakeholder consultation, document analysis), a members workshop and survey analysis, and the co-design of a new 5-year strategy for adoption at the 2025 General Assembly.
June 2023 to present
Tanya’s Dream Fund is a time-bound, grant-making special initiative in memory of Tanya Kovacheva created by OAK Foundation & hosted by Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Between May to September 2023 I mapped EU policies and funding that TDF can leverage to prevent family separation in Bulgaria. From November 2023 to June 2024 I developed an EU influencing strategy and identified possible implementing partners. From October 2024 I am supporting an EU Collaborative to amplify partners’ impact, enable collective action and influence EU policy and funds.
June to September 2023
The EU has become a key actor in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. The Prevent Child Sexual Abuse (Prevent CSA) team at Oak supports organisations to build a safer world where children can thrive.
To support the Prevent CSA’s grant-making, I helped the team develop a better understanding of EU legislative and policy processes, the EU budget and spending plans, as well as the role of civil society in the EU.
I developed and delivered a 4-part webinar series, including 2 introductory sessions and 2 deep dives into decision-making processes and opportunities for civil society.
November 2023 to January 2024
A priority of the Prevent Child Sexual Abuse programme is to support solutions that promote healthy and equal relationships in adolescence as a preventive measure against peer-to-peer sexual violence, with a particular focus on changing harmful gender norms. To this end, Oak aims to support efforts to test, adapt, evaluate and plan for the scale of such solutions, with a particular interest in innovative solutions & advocacy led by youth themselves.
I supported the team’s understanding of EU legislation, as well as funding aligned with Oak’s goal of tackling the root causes of peer-to-peer sexual violence in adolescence. The report summarises: the most recent relevant policy and legislative developments; opportunities for cooperation and mutual learning, and funding for civil society led initiatives. It links to other multi-lateral funding programmes and highlights important national policy developments. It provides insights and recommendations for follow-up.
EU Belgian Presidency, January 2024
The Belgian EU Presidency programme for youth affairs included a goal of improving coordination and cooperation across the EU & international policies agendas for children, youth and children’s rights.
I was selected as main facilitator for a 2-day expert seminar bringing together policy makers, academics, practitioners and activists. I advised on the programme, moderated panel discussions and workshops, and acted as overall master of ceremony. The discussions fed into Council Conclusions adopted by the Ministers for Youth Affairs in May 2024.
December 2023 – March 2024
Inclusion Europe advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities and their families across Europe. It is currently elaborating its 10-year strategic plan. My assignment was to provide strategic advice on strengthening the team’s EU advocacy function.
September – December 2023
ERGO Network aims to combat anti-gypsyism and Roma poverty and strengthen Roma civil society participation in decision-making. My assignment was to conduct an external evaluation of the first 2 years of ERGOs Partnership Framework Agreement with the EU’s Citizenship, Equality, Rights & Values programme. I focused on assessing members’ engagement in EU social policy and ERGO’s coordination of the European Roma Policy Coalition and Roma week.
December 2020 –
Public investment in early childhood development (ECD) is one of the most effective ways of breaking the cycle of poverty and disadvantage.
I wanted to help civil society organisations working in the ECD sector catalyse public investment by harnessing EU policies and funding. Open Society Foundations financed the establishment of the campaign. Partners alongside Eurochild included the International Step by Step Association, Roma Education Fund and the European Public Health Alliance.
12 national associations joined the campaign. Eurochild hosted the coordination team, who managed the sub-grants to international and national partners and provided training and capacity building on influencing EU policies and funds, and their implementation.
November 2012 – November 2019
In 2009 Eurochild carried out the first comprehensive survey of the situation of children in alternative care across Europe. The report showed that institutional care was still the dominant care for children separated from their families in many countries.
With support from the international NGO, Hope and Homes for Children, I led the creation of a Europe-wide advocacy campaign that aimed to end institutional care for children across Europe.
The campaign had 2 phases. The first phase (2012-2015) had 12 national partners and was co-led with Hope & Homes for Children. In the second phase (2016-2019), SOS Children’s Villages & FICE International joined the steering committee as well as 4 new national partners.
The campaign helped national associations gather and publish relevant data and engage in dialogue with policy-makers at national and EU level.
The campaign influenced the EU’s regulations that govern how EU cohesion policy (and enlargement) money is spent. It contributed to maintaining pressure on national governments to prioritise deinstitutionalisation.
2013 –
During the noughties, concerns about child poverty gained greater visibility on the EU political agenda. Several European networks and international NGOs were raising the alarm and urging greater policy attention and investment.
Tackling child poverty was a key priority for Eurochild and its members. We also recognised the importance of joining forces with others to maximise our impact.
The Alliance for Investing in Children started as an EU-funded project in 2013. It supported collaborative advocacy before and after the EU adopted a Recommendation on Investing in Children in 2013.
The Alliance continues today, advocating for the implementation of the European Child Guarantee. Eurochild co-leads the coalition together with Save the Children Europe.
2010 –
Eurochild joined the EEG in 2012. I served 2 terms of 1 year as co-chair. The coalition brings together organisations in the sectors of disability, mental health, homelessness, family support, and children. It has played a crucial role in raising awareness of human rights abuses in institutional care and advocating for public investment in prevention as well as family- and community-based support.
2007 –
Eurochild co-founded this coalition of child-rights organisations advocating towards the EU institutions in 2007. It still operates today, facilitating collective advocacy on implementation of the EU’s Strategy on the Rights of the Child and joint election manifestos for candidates to the European Parliament to become child rights’ champions.
Whilst Secretary General of Eurochild I encouraged our on-going engagement in this coalition, recognising the importance of sharing information and strategic intelligence to improve our collective impact.
2019-2021
Children in alternative care are one of the target groups of the European Child Guarantee. Still, the EU lacks official data on the number of children concerned. The child protection systems have evolved differently in each EU Member State; this includes differences in terminology and data collection.
Working partnership with UNICEF Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, Eurochild led a study to map how data on children in alternative care are collected, analysed and published across 28 European countries (EU27 & UK).
The resulting policy brief is being used to influence how the EU institutions monitors deinstitutionalisation and implementation of the European Child Guarantee.
2013-2018
Whilst leading Eurochild, I understood the importance of supporting our children’s rights advocacy with robust economic arguments. With support from OAK Foundation, we embarked on a study to collect that economic evidence. Then Eurochild President (and UNCRC Committee member), Dr Maria Herczog, played a crucial role in steering the research, which was implemented by Oxford Policy Management.
The study produced a conceptual framework that helps to map inputs, outputs & outcomes linked to child and family policies, services and investment.
The framework was applied to case studies in Malta and Romania. A cost-consequence analysis was used to compare different types of services alongside outcomes for children and families.
Eurochild Conference, July 2018
Eurochild’s 2018 conference set a new standard for involving children directly in event design and delivery. It demonstrated, in theory and in practice, how children can meaningfully participate in decision-making.
Our host town, Opatija, Croatia already had a strong reputation as a child-friendly city. It has a Children’s Mayor and positive experience in influencing public spending decisions. Together with our host, Eurochild member, Society ‘Our Children’ Opatija, we organised a programme to share practice and knowledge on children’s involvement in public decision-making across Europe. Several study visits were organised around Rijeka. A third of the 300 participants were under 18 and children took part in every aspect of the event organisation.
December 2015
This event grew out of Eurochild’s work on promoting family- and parenting support. We recognised the importance of combining research and evidence with knowledge of practitioners as well as lived-experience. The event was hosted by the National University of Ireland in Galway and organised in collaboration with UNESCO Chairs Global Network, Council of Europe, UNICEF Innocenti Office of Research.
The 2-day event included expert papers and round table discussions. There were 16 country delegations, each including an academic expert, a practitioner, and a policy maker.