"<< Objectives >>Within the framework of the project, a network ""Fighting exclusion through education"" is to be established. As members of this network, four Caritas associations: from Hildesheim (DE), Linz (AT), Krakow (PL) and Prague (CZ) and the associated organizations will exchange ideas about ways out of poverty and exclusion through adult education. The project thus focuses on adult education, but also makes a contribution to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.<< Implementation >>The following activities are carried out within the project:- Preparatory meeting (Hildesheim)- Four round tables: in Hildesheim, Krakow, Linz and Prague- Final meeting (Hildesheim)- Creation of a booklet with project results (pdf)- Signing of a joint declaration by all project partners for the establishment of a network ""Fighting exclusion through education"", which should then be open to membership of other suitable organizations.<< Results >>The following results can be expected:- Increase in the competencies of full-time and voluntary employees of participating project partners and associated organizations- Development of innovative projects and educational offers by participants in the project- Improving the situation of people affected or threatened by poverty and social exclusion- deepening European awareness- Consolidation of the cooperation between the project partners by establishing a network."

‘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.

Families who are socially disadvantaged and have multiple burdens to confront are also at a disadvantage in terms of health. The seven partner organisations involved in our project come from Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Austria, Italy and the United Kingdom. In the course of their day-to-day counselling and assistance, they have found that particularly the children and adolescents in these families are exposed to a wide array of health risks. Studies have shown that poverty has an impact on the health of children and adolescents. They found a greater incidence of cavities, overweight, accidents, diabetes and coordination disorders as effects of this poverty. Early-screening examinations and vaccinations are also less frequent among children in socially disadvantaged families. Health examinations prior to primary-school entry have found a disproportionate incidence of gross-motor coordination and speech disorders as well as an increased need for early intervention. Complicating matters is the fact that this particular social group – which apparently has the greatest need for preventive measures to promote health – is also barely reached by such measures. To date, preventive health care and health promotion amongst disadvantaged families has not been a central field of action for the project partners involved. Within the framework of our European cooperation, however, we wish to devote central importance to this topic in our daily educational and counselling outreach. For one, we seek to interact with fellow stakeholders around the importance of preventive health care and health promotion in the European context, thus creating a common knowledge base, while at the same time familiarising ourselves with good practices amongst participating Member States. To this end, a total of six 2.5-day Transnational Project Meetings (TPM) will be held during the two-year project period. Around 20 specialists from amongst the project partners will participate in each of these meetings. To make our European cooperation effective at local level as well, we would also like to initiate and conduct local testing of concrete offerings in counselling and education on the subject of health for parents in disadvantaged and poor families. Working with parents will contribute towards improving the health awareness, health behaviour and state of health of children and adolescents in their families. In this respect, we pursue a ‘setting approach’; this means that the counselling and educational offers we initiate for parents will be tested, for example, in a daycare centre, counselling centre or urban residential quarter. The family-based perspective will form an essential element of our project work. We anticipate providing advice on health issues to a total of around 350 to 400 families as part of our project. We will work within the scope of individual consultations, on the one hand; but we will also enlist the method of group consultation.Through our project work, we specifically seek to promote implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights at the political level as a new and central strategic concept for the European Union. Particularly where Section 11 (Childcare and support to children) and Section 16 (Health care) are concerned, through our joint work, we would like to ensure that the Pillar also has a practical impact on the citizenry of the EU.