From Evidence to Systemic Change: Advocacy for Inclusive public policies solving generational poverty

Despite a significant legislative milestone — the inclusion of parenting skills support in Slovakia's social services system (effective January 2026) — children growing up in generational poverty in marginalised Roma communities continue to face profound and compounding disadvantages from birth. These disadvantages are rooted not in individual failure, but in structural barriers that are deeply interconnected and self-reinforcing across generations.
Children in these communities are born into environments shaped by inadequate housing, limited access to quality healthcare and early childhood services, low parental education, and social exclusion. Research consistently shows that the first years of life are critical for cognitive, emotional, and social development — yet children in marginalised communities are systematically denied the stimulation, support, and safety nets that their peers in mainstream society take for granted. This early developmental gap translates directly into lower school readiness, higher rates of early school leaving, and significantly reduced life chances.
The causes are multiple. Slovakia lacks a robust, evidence-based, and sustainably financed system of early childhood care and after-school activities for children in marginalised communities. Service providers operate without standardised quality frameworks, data on long-term outcomes is scarce, and public institutions often lack the awareness and tools to respond inclusively to people affected by generational poverty. Civil society expertise and field data remain underutilised in policy processes — perpetuating ineffective public spending and missed opportunities for structural change.
 

The project pursues three interconnected lines of work, each contributing to sustainable, evidence-based change in early childhood care and after-school activities and the reduction of generational poverty in Slovakia.

The first line focuses on building a robust evidence base. The organisation will develop and pilot a new measurement tool for parenting skills and attitudes (sample: 48 programme participants and 12 non-participants from the same communities), and implement the Harvard CREDI tool to assess developmental outcomes of all children enrolled in the Omama programme. Both datasets will feed into a peer-reviewed article submitted to an open-access academic journal by month 20 of the project.

The second line focuses on systemic advocacy. The organisation will participate in the inter-ministerial working group on early childhood care, coordinate NGO activities through the OdPerinky platform, and engage in the advisory body of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities and the Monitoring Committee of Slovakia 2021–2027. In partnership with VÚDPaP and the National Project PUŠD, it will develop an advocacy strategy supporting the educational success of children from marginalised communities, including pilot school collaborations and joint policy recommendations, to be completed by month 24.

The third line focuses on shifting institutional attitudes. The organisation will deliver Bridges Out of Poverty and Parenting Skills Training in a two-day format for schools, municipalities, and public offices, as well as a dedicated Workplace Stability component for employers. A new network of inclusive employers will also be launched during the project. The first workshops will begin by month 6 of the project. Two public awareness campaigns aimed at destigmatising generational poverty and promoting inclusive approaches will be carried out continuously throughout the project.

The project aims to achieve results at three interconnected levels: strengthening the knowledge base, advancing systemic policy change and shifting institutional atitudes and practices for the benefit of poorest people.

At the knowledge level, the project will generate evidence on the developmental outcomes of children enrolled in the OMAMA programme and on the impact of early childhood interventions on parenting skills and attitudes. The project will introduce the CREDI developmental measurement tool into practice and produce a peer-reviewed article submitted to an open-access academic journal. An advocacy strategy linking early childhood care, extracurricular activities, and school success will provide a basis for future policy discussions. These results will primarily benefit civil society organisations, researchers, and service providers working in Roma inclusion and early childhood care.

At the policy level, the project aims to contribute to at least one of two national policy processes: the development of quality standards and sustainable financing for parenting skills support services, and recommendations for improving educational support for children from marginalised communities. These results will benefit public institutions, municipalities, schools, and Roma community actors.

At the level of attitudes and practices, at least 120 professionals — including teachers, municipal staff, public officials, and employers — will complete Bridges Out of Poverty and Parental skills training activities. Two public awareness campaigns will contribute to public discussion about generational poverty and social inclusion. These activities will increase understanding of barriers faced by Roma families and promote more inclusive approaches.

The ultimate beneficiaries are Roma women, girls, children, and families living in marginalised communities across Slovakia. The project seeks to strengthen their opportunities for healthy development, education, employment, and social inclusion.