The activities of the research group Give Kids a Chance in 2018

The first phase of the research of Functioning of the local social care system was completed in 2018. The main task was to determine whether or not local institutions identify children deprival as social problems requiring intervention. As an example of food deprivation, it has been shown that people who work in local institutions do not always recognize which child needs help, and if they recognize it, they act depending on whether the family is deemed worthy of support. All this points to the fact that welfare redistribution is not only influenced by normative aspects for adults living in poverty, but also for children. The study based on the research was published in an international journal.

Research on the sustainability of regional child welfare programs examines what factors influence the sustainability of a one-fold financing program / service in the future. In a broader sense, it seeks to answer what sustainability means for social innovations. The first results of the research - beyond the shortage of resources - have pointed to a number of difficulties in disadvantaged areas in maintaining social inclusion programs. Six research reports and an analytical study in Hungarian were produced in 2018.

The research team participates in the work of the HAS CSS Mobility Research Centre. Their sub-program Social Care and Social Mobility, in cooperation with the Department of Social Work at ELTE, examines the operating mechanisms of the child welfare and child protection system, the attitudes and decision-making routines of local social professionals. During the year, a nationwide representative survey was conducted among family and child welfare staff. Data processing and analysis is the task of 2019.

The members of the research group regularly hold lectures at national and international professional conferences, prepare reviews for international and Hungarian journals and participate in the work of editorial committees.

The results of the group's policy-oriented research can be used to design and rethink individual public policy interventions for poverty reduction, and can also be used to (further) educate professionals dealing with children. They can also help local developers invent, develop, implement and operate poverty reduction programs/services in sustainable ways. In its dissemination activities, the group strives to make research results available not only for researchers but also for the various target groups listed. This serves, inter alia, the participation in the Evaluation Committee of the National Strategy for "Better for Children!", presentations at various non-scientific events, and the presence on the group's own website and on other media.