Both educational and research components of the “European support for children at risk of poverty” project support children who have social and economic barriers linked to discrimination and fewer opportunities by helping students and professionals to address their inclusion and diversity challenges. To help create a supportive environment and enhance capacities of children at risk of poverty, this project builds new and deepens the existing competences of students and professionals that work with children and enables their better professional growth, increases their employability, and provides expertise needed on the labour market. This objective is achieved through summer school and e-training. Both activities are intended for social work students and professionals as well as students and professionals who traditionally do not have content on children living in poverty and EU support mechanisms within their regular curriculum (early childhood education, primary teaching, social pedagogy, pedagogy). Two e-trainings will be delivered to students and professionals from Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo. A publication will be produced as an online available resource for all those willing to make their practices more sensitive for children at risk of poverty and in line with EU guidelines. The summer school will be delivered for Croatian students from diverse professions that work with children. As part of the summer school, five community interventions within geographically diverse areas will be delivered.

Through its research component, the project takes on the emerging field of implementation science to help determine the factors and strategies that influence the uptake and use of social mentoring in routine practice settings. The research will contribute to accountability of the social welfare system and the sustainability of social mentoring as well as generate insights that can support EU policymaking when supporting families living in poverty.