Poor Children, Poor Services, Poor Outcomes: Child Poverty and Its Impact on Referral and Placement in Public Care System in Hungary

Abstract

In Hungary today 40 % of the population lives below the poverty line, many of them experiencing social exclusion. One million inhabitants, live in extreme poverty. Children, people living in disadvantaged regions in small settlements and those with special needs are particularly at risk of poverty. In 2013 27 % of children in the EU lived in poverty, while in Hungary the rate was 39.6 %. Regional differences in the poverty rates both in the EU and in Hungary strongly affect the accessibility and availability of local services, their quality, the number of children receiving the services and the reasons for referring children to the public care system. Roma and disabled children are at greater risk of poverty, exclusion, and placement into public care. Despite a clear legal prohibition, over 30 % of the children in out-of-home placements were removed from the family due to poverty and the lack or limitations of local services, including lack of accountability for the decisions made and their consequences. The public care system itself also suffers from insufficient resourcing, and growing demands due to the complex problems of children and their families, and lack of a proper national strategy.