REYN Belgium Archives

Travelling Travellers. An overview of the living conditions of travelling Travellers and existing supporting initiatives

ENG: Travelling Travellers. An overview of the living conditions of travelling Travellers and existing supporting initiatives

NL: Rondtrekkende woonwagenbewoners. Een overzicht van de leefomstandigheden van rondtrekkende woonwagenbewoners en bestaande initiatieven ter ondersteuning

Travellers travel around for different reasons. While for some it is part of their specific way of life, in recent years an increasing number of Travellers in Flanders, Belgium have been forced to travel around due to a lack of encampment sites. This situation makes them vulnerable. Because this problem is relatively recent, however, the group of travelling Travellers has largely remained under the research radar until now. The aim of the present study, commissioned by the Flemish Agency for Home Affairs and conducted by the research institute HIVA, was therefore to gain more insight into the living and housing situation of travelling Travellers in Flanders, Belgium.

The research is focused on:

1) the living conditions and social participation of travelling Travellers,

2) the existing support, guidance and assistance for travelling Travellers.

Subsequently, policy recommendations based on the results of these two focus areas were made. Subject of the study were both Belgian and foreign travelling Travellers. Data was collected by various qualitative research methods, among which interviews with Travellers about their current and desired living situation and interviews with key figures such as practitioners and policy officers.

The resource is in Dutch language.

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Roma Empowerment and Support for Inclusion – Case study Ghent, Belgium

The project aimed to support children from the age of 2 ½ years until the age of 12 in exercising their right to quality education by supporting their parents, improving communication between schools and parents, supporting school teams and building networks in the neighborhood. It was implemented by City of Ghent with financial support from the Bernard van Leer Foundation. Through the project, approximately 250 Roma children and their families were reached in 4 schools.

Under the Capacity building of Roma supporting partners project, carried out by ISSA in partnership with Bernard van Leer Foundation (in 2014-2016), three case studies on Roma Empowerment and Support for Inclusion were developed. This is one of the three case studies developed after the projects in Italy, Belgium and the UK/Northern Ireland. A “Synthesis report of the Case Studies in Ghent, Belfast and Rome – Policy Recommendation” is available here.

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Synthesis report of the Case Studies in Ghent, Belfast and Rome – Policy Recommendation

Based on the information provided in the three case studies around the projects funded by Bernard van Leer Foundation and implemented by partner organizations in Belfast, Ghent and Rome, this report shows the key findings in the studies. It summarizes the cross-national issues consolidated around four areas: 1. Parenting support; 2. Children’s access to quality early childhood services; 3. Influencing public awareness on Roma inclusion and early childhood development; 4. Capacity building and empowerment of Roma actors.

The policy recommendations were developed based on three case studies (in Belgium, Italy, Northern Ireland) and on the conclusions of the group discussions at the policy roundtable meeting organized by the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) in partnership with Bernard van Leer Foundation in Brussels, in September 2016. The policy recommendations regarding Roma empowerment and support for inclusion with a specific focus on young children, concerned: the importance of political will and finances; mediators as key actors for inclusion; strengths based approaches and family support as key entry point for inclusion; and comprehensive approaches as ways for breaking the barriers for inclusion.