Main National Indicators
Portugal needs to raise national awareness of the importance of the first years of life in human development because, despite many improvements, national indicators show some insensitivity to this theme.
Portugal still has:
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An at risk of poverty or social exclusion rate, for children under 18 years old, of 21,6% (the general population's rate is of 19,8%)
(INE (2020). Proporção da população residente em risco de pobreza e exclusão social (Europa 2020) (%) por Sexo e Grupo etário; Anual (available at https://ine.pt, accessed: 26/10/2023)
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An at-risk-of-poverty rate for a single person with dependent children of 25,5% and for two adults with 3 or more dependent children of 39,8% (the general population’s rate is of 16,2%)
(2020, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ILC_LI03__custom_962592/default/table?lang=en, accessed:26/10/2023)
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A higher demand than supply of early education and care (ECEC) places for children under the age of 4 (age for a guaranteed place in ECEC)*, with only 47,6% of children under 3 participating in centre-based childcare**
(* European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice, 2019. Key data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe – 2019 Edition. Eurydice Report, Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European union.; **2022, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tps00185/default/table?lang=en, acedido em 26/10/2023)
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Only 3,6 % of children in alternative care arrangements living in family-based care.
(Instituto da Segurança Social, I.P., 2023. CASA 2022 - Relatório de Caraterização Anual da Situação de Acolhimento das Crianças e Jovens.)
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The 4th highest households’ out-of-pocket payments for healthcare of the EU25 – 29%.
(OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.)
- Children without access to quality healthcare in time, namely those who need the most, given the shortage of resources in Primary Health Care the waiting time for a specialised medical consultation in the public hospitals (not compatible with early child development)
- No data available for a set of relevant indicators for monitoring early childhood development (ECD), such as, for example, those related to: i) the risk of poverty, social exclusion, material deprivation, housing deprivation for children under 3 years old; ii) child health, such as antenatal care (4 or more visits), exclusive breastfeeding (initiation, duration, etc), postnatal care (visits made), unmet health needs of children under 3 and 6 years old; children at risk of poor development, children with functional difficulty, children developmentally on-track; iii) early learning, such as early stimulation at home, children’s books in the home, playthings at home; iv) responsive caregiving, i.e. parental mental health, parental support (groups, home visits).
REFERENCES
Country Profile Portugal
(June 2021)
The information provided in this Country Profile reflects the situation at the end of May 2021, with FNSBS - Fundação Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso- as a contributor.
Country Profiles for Early Childhood Development
Developed by UNICEF in collaboration with “Countdown to 2030 Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health”.
Portugal – Nurturing Care
European Semester Report
The early childhood development position and recommendations for every country.
Resources Archive - First Years First Priority
New opportunities for investing in Children
Country Report 2019 Eurochild pag 72 Portugal
'New opportunities for investing in Children' - 2019 Eurochild Report on the European Semester
Growing up in lockdown: Europe's children in the age of COVID-19
Recommendations to prioritize the well-being of children and their families in the Covid-19 context.
EUROCHILD
Early Childhood and Care in Europe
Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe - 2019 Edition Figure B1, p.44 and Figure B7, p.63
Where do rich countries stand on childcare?
UNICEF OFFICE OF RESEARCH – INNOCENTI June 2021. The report concludes with nine recommendations for how policies can be improved to provide comprehensive solutions to all families.
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