Inclusive Family Education and Support in the Light of EU 2020 Erasmus Project

Project Title

Inclusive Family Education and Support in the Light of EU 2020

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

‘We have taken educational work with disadvantaged families to the European level. Our aim in this was to involve as many colleagues as possible in transnational exchanges in order to give them the opportunity to establish European contacts, gain international experience and familiarise themselves with examples of good practice’, said Kinga Hubbes, regional coordinator for social integration at Caritas Alba Iulia in Romania.
The project work was centred around professional exchange. A total of 112 mobility actions were carried out under the strategic partnership, with seven organisations from six EU Member States (DE, AT, RO, IT, UK, LT) taking part. Participants in the exchange activities were educational professionals who offer education and counselling services to disadvantaged families in their various localities and have extensive experience in this field. The partners have exchanged information on their practices and strategies for fighting poverty innovatively and critically assess achievements from a European perspective. Methods used focused on cooperative learning and mutual assessment, discussions with specialists, workshops and cross-border transfer of know-how.
The central topic of our six 2.5-day, transnational partner meetings held every four months at partner organisations was the topic of education and counselling for poor and socially marginalised families. Experts from science and practitioners were invited to this event, and interesting projects were visited on site. Our aim was to do all we could to create a common European knowledge base through project work.
Supplemental to the transnational exchange, each partner also locally organised what are known as ‘family fora’ for disadvantaged parents and single parents. Here, attendees had an opportunity to discuss, provide and receive advice and information on assistance offers around child-rearing, school attendance, vocational training, health promotion, housing, indebtedness and other issues. Initiated as a complement to case-by-case advice, the family fora produced very positive results and helped combat social exclusion. The fora succeeded in reaching more than 600 disadvantaged participants. Above and beyond these, another 180 people (education experts, responsible politicians and public officials, stakeholders, etc.) came into contact with our project.
We visited Brussels at the conclusion of the project partnership. Here we had the opportunity to brief Lisette Schermer, Senior Policy Officer for Erasmus+ at the European Commission, on the progress and results of our strategic partnership, and to discuss with her the further development of the programme from 2021 through 2028, particularly with regard to inclusion. Furthermore we discussed with experts from Caritas Europa and from the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN).
The transnational partners agreed to continue to apply the family-fora method beyond the end of the project in their advisory and educational work with marginalised families. It was also agreed that the collaboration would continue at the European level, with joint launch of a new project in 2020. Our British partner will also be involved in this, irrespective of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations.
Barbara Schinnerl, Caritas Upper Austria, states: “From my point of view the whole partnership was a high qualitative international collaboration with a lot of innovative and motivating output. Getting to know other European countries in a professional way that was and is a crucial factor for a united and prospective European strategy. Thanks a lot of making it possible being part of this very important European partnership.”
Interested parties can find more information on the project website: www.inclusive-family-education.eu.
The content of the transnational partner meetings is documented in detail in eBook form there as well.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 111970 Eur

Project Coordinator

Diözesan-Caritasverband für das Erzbistum Köln e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Ministry of Employment,Integration and Social Affairs NRW
• ASOCIATIA CARITAS – ASISTENTA SOCIALA FILIALA ORGANIZATIEI CARITAS ALBA IULIA
• Association of Lithuanian Children’s day care centres
• PISCESWM LTD
• FONDAZIONE DIOCESANA CARITAS TRIESTE ONLUS
• Caritas der Diözese Linz