1. Fight against Child poverty in Slovakia How we are doing? The first four years of the Szécsény children´ program to combat child poverty Szécsény, 29 April 2011 Zuzana Kusá Slovak AntiPoverty Network

2. Main themes of presentation Public opinion about poverty (and ethnicity) and antipoverty programmes Facts about poverty Policies against poverty

3. Public opinion about poverty of children Surveys show that Slovaks have big concerns about situation of children growing in poor families. Surveys also show that Slovaks have only little concern about situation of Roma in Slovakia. Slovak politicians know that their voters perceive antipoverty programs as privileging Roma to majority population.

4. Facts on poverty of children in Slovakia  More than 10% of Slovak children are growing up in jobless households  Poverty and poverty of children has strong regional character  Children from jobless households dominate among pupils who do not finish compulsory education or do not continue in education  Material deprivation exceeeds monetary poverty  Part of facts about child poverty is hidden (poor household concentrations are avoided by surveys (included EU-SILC)

5. Development of risk of poverty of social groups in SK (EU -SILC)

6. Number of persons under the poverty threshold (by household with different number of dependent children (EU-SILC 2009)

7. Burden of paying housing costs by type of household EU-SILC 2009

8. Economic status of parents of pupils by pupil´s ethnic origin Krásne (town in south-eastern Slovakia with 28% registered unemployment) SlovakHungarianRoma fathermotherfathermotherfathermother Full-time job767268642114 Part-time job3591085 retired237022 Parental leave0305212 unemployed191716216867 total100 7 FP No. 217384 EDUMIGROM

9. Reforms of minimum income (last resort) scheme 1990 – 1998 household minimum income secured on the subsistence minimum level (SM was not appropriately uprated) 1999 benefits to long-term unemployed halved but total benefit for household secured subsistence minimum to children 2003, the ceiling of 10,500 SKK (EUR 309) set for monthly benefit per household irrespective of the number of children. 2004 benefit divided to „solidary“ and „merit“ part and is more firmly tied to household; jobless singles under 25 are not entitled to benefit if they live in their parents’ household. Benefit is cut off if any of the household member leaves Slovakia. All merit alllowances are cut off for six months if beneficiary does not fulfil some of her/his duties. 2112 reform is expected to reduce solidary part further (to secure one hot meal daily)

10. Relation of basic MI benefit and MI maximum benefit to the national poverty threshold for selected types of households in euro1 adult2 adults Number of children 01 – 4 children0 5 and more children 012340123456 National PT185270354439523314399483570652737822 Basic benefit 60,5115,1 105, 2 157,6 202,3 Maximum benefit with all allowances 182311351391432326419459500540635649 Difference NPT – max. benefit - 331-3.3-48-91121220-24-70-112-102-172

11. Conditionality of the allowances to basic MI benefit Conditionality Activation allowance Registered job-seekers, taking part in activation work, (since 2008, limited to 6 months and one time), studying while caring for a child to 3 or 6 years of age Allowance for pregnant Since the fourth month of pregnancy - visits of gynaecologist - documented on the pregnancy card Protection allowance Reaching the age of entitlement for an old age pension, disability, lone parent caring personally for a child until 31 weeks of age, illness Housing allowance Regular (6 month) payments of rent and/or housing services, proof of ownership or a renting contract or the right to life-long usage; those who live in temporary housing facilities are not entitled Health contribution Fulfilling commitments of beneficiaries Allowance for parents caring for a child younger than one year Confirmation from a paediatrician that the child has taken part in preventive medical examinations Benefit for child that is fulfilling compulsory school attendance Regular school attendance (since 2009)

12. Elementary school welfare programmes Since 2004  school meals for children from poor households (usually only MI beneciaries), small cofinancing of parents was required till 2011. Now free of charge.  school supplies for children from poor households free of charge  Motivation scholarship – in 2009 replaced by allowance for regular school attendance paid by labour office (only MI beneciaries)

13. System problem in school policy Insufficient financing Large classes hamper individual approach and force to „frontal“ teaching that is not sensitive to differences in pupil´s abilities; Low number of teacher assistants (only schools with 100 and more pupils from socially disadvantaged environment have duty and resources to establish TA) Hindrances to free time activities of poor children Missing goal and cooperation morale Missing municipal and school strategies of poorest children integration (mixed education, free time activities) Rare cooperation of schools and NGOs Fatalistic approach to Roma education Opinion that minimum income system is generous and demotivating also prevails among teaachers

14. Responsibility for promotion of equal opportunities for children on the central government level  There are several high quality strategies on the governmental level (such as the Program of comprehensive development of marginalised Roma settlements approved in 2002)  There are even tools prepared (horizontal priority of Roma marginalised settlements for the Programming period 2007 – 2013  There is discontinuity of the political will after every election;  There is the tendency to accuse equalising measures for being form of discrimination  There is the interest to comply with, promote and capitalise individual responsibility ethos of Slovak population

15. Last and lasting question: how to deal with the dilemma of targeted antipoverty programmes that raise hostility of poor families towards poorest ones and are undermined by it universal programmes in favour of all children that would further raise deficit and indebtedness (and in the era of fiscal consolidation) seem unfeasible