Programmes for vulnerable young people

European Child Guarantee National Plan (to 2030): Ensures equal access for at-risk children (under 18, poverty/vulnerable) to early childhood care (0-3 years capacity expansion), education at all levels/school activities, quality healthcare, healthy meals, and adequate housing. Reduces child poverty by 21,000 via integrated services addressing Roma, disabilities, migrants. 

• Planned measures: multidisciplinary teams, capacity building in nurseries/schools, health promotion/prevention, monitoring via EU SILC data. 

Strategy of equality, inclusion and participation of Roma until 2030 – Action plans for 2025-2027: Aims to increase school attendance and reduce early school leaving for over 3,000 Roma children through early childhood care access, school desegregation measures, dual education programs, and targeted interventions. Key activities include monitoring school enrolment (ages 3-6), career counselling, scholarships for secondary students, and prevention of premature school termination via early warning systems. Focuses on teacher training for Roma-specific needs and infrastructure expansion in high-concentration areas. Funding: ESF+, RRP, state budget. 

Strategy on Inclusive Access to Education - Second Action Plan for 2025–2027: Covers six core areas—supportive measures, counseling systems, desegregation, barrier-free environments, teacher training, and destigmatization. Implements vertical model of support measures with legislative updates, evaluation of financing methodologies, and public awareness campaigns (€407K RRP). 

• Targets Roma diagnostics, prevention of school failure via tutoring/language courses, and personnel capacity building for inclusive practices across kindergartens and schools.

National Strategy for Development of Coordinated Early Intervention and Early Childhood Care Services (2022-2030) – Action Plan 2023-2025: Ensures integrated support for all children (0-7 years) with developmental risks, disabilities, or from disadvantaged environments (incl. Roma) via multi-level interventions across health, education, social services. Key measures: inter-ministerial coordination, capacity building, screening methodologies, multidisciplinary teams, peer counselling, awareness campaigns. 

• Targets: universal access, family-work balance, sustained services to prevent exclusion and maximize potential.

National Project "Field Social Work and Community Centres" (The project is implemented by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family.)

• Implementation period: 2023-2029 
• The aim: mitigate poverty and social exclusion impacts through professional field social work, community centres, low-threshold daily centres, and social services for children/families – targeting marginalised Roma communities and vulnerable groups; activities: social/personal services, crisis intervention at local level; 
• Targets: entire Slovakia (merged from 4 prior projects); 
• Total financial volume: €250,729,078 (ESF+ €208,103,252).

National Project "Development Teams I" 2023-2026 (The project is implemented by the Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities.)

• The aim: improve life conditions in 60 marginalised Roma communities via integrated approach – social inclusion, education, employment, housing, anti-racism per Roma Strategy 2030; development teams (7+ staff per municipality) coordinate local interventions with infrastructure investments; activities: early childcare, youth education, job activation, community work, desegregation support. 
• Targets: 60 municipalities, all age groups (focus children/youth); 
• Total financial volume: €69.6M ESF+ (total NP €58.2M).

National Project "Support for Assisting Professions 3" (NP POP 3) 2023-2026 The project is implemented by the NIVAM.)

• The aim: stabilize and maintain assisting professions in schools (pedagogical assistants, school support teams, teaching assistants, parent assistants, digital coordinators) to ensure inclusion and equal access to quality education for children/students including those with special needs; activities: financing 6,700+ positions across 2,400+ schools, professional development, gradual transition to state budget funding. 
• Targets: Kindergarten, Elementary schools, High schools nationwide - (focus vulnerable children); 
• Total financial volume: €200M+ (Program Slovakia 2021-2027, ESF+)

National Project "Opportunity for All" 2024 - 2027 (The project is implemented by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth.)

• Aim: Largest desegregation initiative – supports inclusive education in 13 localities (e.g., Lučenec, Trebišov, Ostrovany) via 36 tools from school-community cooperation to Roma language support.
• Activities: School and schools founders engagement, parent engagement, balanced class distribution, infrastructure upgrades.
• Targets: 17 schools, 4,000+ pupils (focus vulnerable/Roma children).
• Budget: (Program Slovakia 2021-2027, ESF+)

National Project “Support for Educational Opportunities“ 2024 - 2027 (The project is implemented by the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth.)

• ​Aim: Transition pupils from special to mainstream education via RR Screening tests.
• Activities: Pretesting pupils through RR Screening tests, transition classes, methodology development.
• Targets: Children with special needs nationwide.
• Budget: (Program Slovakia 2021-2027, ESF+)

Project: Right to First Job (Phase 2) (The project is implemented by the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic).

This successful project focuses on supporting the employment of young people who have not yet found work in Slovakia, while also helping employers to recruit new workers.

• Financial support: Employers are reimbursed up to 80% of wage costs (up to a maximum of €1,010 per month) for a period of 9 months. Employers can submit applications for subsidies electronically to the relevant employment office.
• Job sustainability: After 9 months, the employer is obliged to keep the employee in work for another 6 months.
• Expansion in phase 2: Support for 5,100 new jobs is planned.
• New feature – Mentoring: The project now includes 3 months of support from a mentor who helps new employees learn the ropes and settle in.
• Conditions for young people: University graduates (after 3 months of registration with the employment office) and secondary school graduates (after 1 month of registration) can participate in the project. The basic condition is that the applicant has not worked continuously in Slovakia for at least 6 months.
• Results of phase 1: In the first wave, 1,906 jobs were created (86% of which were obtained by young people under 30), and up to 76% of those employed retained their jobs after the end of the project.

Funding

All above mentioned projects and programmes were financed by the European Social Funds ((Program Slovakia 2021-2027)  and by national contribution from the State Budget.  

Quality assurance

Quality assurance is based on ESF rules and accepted methodologies.