100th Quality of Childhood Meeting: Rethinking Childhood Well-being
On 29 September 2026, the Alliance for Childhood European Network Group marked the 100th Quality of Childhood (QoC) meeting in Brussels under the theme “Rethinking Childhood Well-being Through a Systemic and Intergenerational Lens.”
The anniversary meeting brought together experts, practitioners, civil society representatives and policymakers to discuss how childhood well-being can be placed at the centre of more coherent and future-oriented policies. The programme explored three closely connected dimensions: the whole-child perspective, systemic school reform and holistic approaches to children’s mental health. Digital well-being and the role of families and communities were also central to the discussions.
Niels Geuking, MEP and EPP representative of the Working Group on the Child Guarantee, took part in the programme and delivered a speech in the session “From School Reform to Tackling Child Poverty.” Helmut Geuking, former MEP and one of the first ambassadors of the Alliance for Childhood European Network, also participated in the celebration and delivered a speech on the history and development of the Alliance.
In his contribution, Niels Geuking underlined that school reform begins long before the school gate. Tackling child poverty, he argued, requires a strong family-policy perspective, quality and affordable early childhood education and care, adequate support for parents and inclusive schools.
He presented the idea of the European Family Contract, based on three pillars: adequate financial support for families and children, meaningful and equitable parental leave, and affordable, high-quality early childhood education and care. These measures, he stressed, should provide families with security and children with a stronger foundation for development and learning.
Geuking also called for schools to become community hubs, bringing together education, family support, culture, sport and social services. In his view, parents should be treated as partners in education, while schools should provide additional opportunities such as sport, music, arts, homework support and community activities beyond regular teaching hours.
Children’s mental health and the digital environment were further highlighted. Geuking stressed the importance of trauma-informed approaches and of asking not simply “What is wrong with this child?” but “What has this child experienced, and what does the child need?” He also called for stronger digital skills, media literacy and safeguards for children online, with responsibility shared between families, education systems and digital platforms.
Another proposal was a Single Gateway for Families: a simple digital entry point allowing families to identify and, where possible, access available benefits and services more easily.
The event concluded with a fruitful and informative debate on how family, education, social, health and employment policies can be better connected.
The central message of the 100th QoC meeting was that investing in families means investing in children, and investing in children means investing in Europe’s future.
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