INVESTING IN THE EARLY YEARS OF CHILDREN - PROMOTING SOCIAL INNOVATION AND ROMA INTEGRATION 21 November 2013 Zoltán Kovács Minister of State for Social Inclusion HUNGARY

The Hungarian paradigm shift Anti-discrimination – pragmatism Long-term problems – long-term solutions Positive action ‘With a view to ensuring full equality in practice, the principle of equal treatment shall not prevent any Member State from maintaining or adopting specific measures to prevent or compensate for disadvantages linked to racial or ethnic origin.’ (Council Directive 2000/43/EC, Article 5) Think beyond Focus on children

Preliminaries Budapest Conference - Hungary is a founding member of the Decade of Roma Inclusion Programme Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 7 April 2011 – 5th Meeting of the European Platform for Roma Inclusion in Budapest HU initiated the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies HU was the first EU Member State to adopt the National Social (Roma) Inclusion Strategy (NSIS)

Basic principles Integration through active participation  involvement, not coercion Result-orientation Comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach Innovation and sustainability Sure start, safe future: life-long assistance, from conception to a secure living Programmes based on personal responsibility and participation Principle of communal participation and support Well-founded planning, regular monitoring of efficiency

Basic principles in the field of education Fighting child poverty Increasing the prospects of continued studies for disadvantaged and the most disadvantaged children Following the principle of the “path of life” The support chain should start as early as possible in a child’s life Nursery-school age: the Hungarian Government have changed the age for compulsory nursery-school attendance from five to three As part of a multidimensional development programme for micro- regions extending to newborns, Sure Start Children’s Centres help infants and their parents in disadvantaged positions

Best practices Sure Start Children’s Centres - State + EU-funded projects budget: € Funding for operation: €  € The task is provision of the best possible opportunities for the development of skills and abilities among infants (0-3 years). Currently there are 41 centres with children From 2014, three-year funding will provide a secure base for the operation of Children’s Centres Operational funds can be claimed not only by local governments, but civil society and church Children's Centres can also receive funding “in their own right” From 2015, a further 60 Children's Centres will be added to the Hungarian system

Best practices Integrative Pedagogical System (IPS) running since 2003 – €23.3 million, budget for €2.4 million; 2012 – €2.3 million Aim: to bring children into nursery school and to “see them into” school  For this the IPS provides incentive funding to maintaining bodies and educators institutions, pupils and teachers involved School network running since 2011, budget for the 2011 school year : € Aim: this seeks and supports exemplary solutions and methods which transform entire schools, the attitudes of educators and pedagogical programmes, with the aim of increasing the chances of progress in school for multiply-disadvantaged learners.

Best practices ‘For the Road’ three-level scholarship package running since 2011; 2011: € 5.7 million; 2012: €6.5 million; 2013: €7.9 million Sub-programmes: Road to Secondary School Road to School-leaving Exam Road to Employment Road to Higher Education Results so far: new entrants, participants of Roma origin, mentors in 2012/ 2013 Future: The allocation for scholarships to students in the 2013/2014 academic year is rising, and will be dependent on academic results. Focus on rationalising the system of qualifying conditions for applications and less extensive modifications to the rules for the mentoring process

Best practices Roma Boarding School System Budget: € (2011); from 2012: € Aim: inclusion for Hungary’s Roma citizens, and training of a Roma intelligentsia with plans for the future To this end, the Christian Network of Boarding Schools for the Roma was created in March 2011 with the signing of its founding charter by these maintaining institutions: the Jesuit order, on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church; the Greek Catholic Church; the Calvinist Church; and Lutheran Church Results so far: 8 boarding schools, more than 170 students Gandhi High School A groundbreaking initiative in order to increase higher education prospects for young Roma citizens.

Best practices Employment and training Public employment scheme (providing employment to people, out of whom people are of Roma origin in 2012 – more than €450 million) Social land programme  Social/community employment (providing employment to people – more than € ) + educational programmes Housing Complex settlement programme (22 settlements so far – €19.5 million)

Monitoring system A separate monitoring system has recently been established to follow the implementation of programmes in a unified framework Monitoring is assisted by the social inclusion indicator system developed by an independent research institution and with data uploaded by the Central Statistical Office by the end of the first half of 2013 The Interministerial Committee for Social Inclusion and Roma Affairs has also set up a separate Monitoring Working Group with the cooperation of the public administration departments concerned

Partners Forums for discussion Roma Affairs Council (CET) Roma Coordination Council (ROK-T) Evaluation Committee of National Strategy ‘Making Things Better for Our Children!’ (ÉB) Committee for Social Inclusion and Roma Affairs (TFCTB) National Human Rights Working Group Anti-segregation Roundtable Role of churches Stakeholders with a long tradition of promoting solidarity and experience as promoters of inclusion, who have been engaging in charity activities and have also been actively participating in the work of relevant bodies and committees Christian Network of Boarding Schools for the Roma

Future – Think beyond 2020 The Roma Decade and EU-related Roma affairs are being brought into harmony, because ‘solving issues affecting the Roma is a long-term task that needs effective assets operating in the long-run’ Integrated and continuous assessment and renewal

National Social Inclusion Strategy 2.0 Refreshed version To be launched in December 2013 Various approaches and solutions according to the needs of each village and region – and nationwide – in order to promote social inclusion Practices and methods also recommended at EU level, shareable know-how