On the 10th of April 2025, rEUsilience researcher Ivana Dobrotić moderated a Croatian stakeholders’ conference titled “Families, care and poverty: what can cities and municipalities do?” which gathered over 70 participants from various sectors and areas across Croatia. Attendees included social workers, representatives from the judiciary specialised in family and child matters, the Ombudsperson and its representatives of the Office, municipalities (Zagreb and Koprivnica), NGOs, academia, media, and several governmental offices.
The discussion opened with key findings from the rEUsilience focus groups in Croatia and set the stage for a panel discussion featuring prominent voices in Croation social policy. Among the panellists were Ombudsperson, Tena Šimonović Einwalter; Head of the Office for Social Protection, Health, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities from the City of Zagreb, Lora Vidović; Deputy Mayor of Koprivnica, Ksenija Ostriž; Štefica Karačić from the Croatian Association of Social Workers; and Ivana Zanze, Executive Director of the parenting NGO RODA.
The debate highlighted the systemic and structural challenges faced by low-income families in Croatia, with the current social assistance systems being too fragmented, too complex and often times too difficult to access. The discussion was directed towards several critical issues from a social policy perspective whereafter local practices, policies, and challenges were shared as well.
Social Policy Discussions and Concerns
The key topics discussed were, first, the rising at-risk-of-poverty rate in Croatia as well as the widespread discrimination in employment, housing insecurity and unaffordable education and inaccessible healthcare, which were identified as major stressors for families. Furthermore, weaknesses in, and questions about, the fairness and the effectiveness of the current social assistance system were raised, for example regarding the guaranteed minimum benefit and rising working-poor population. The panellists therefore called for a revision of the eligibility criteria in the social assistance schemes and a shift to focus more strongly towards supporting families at risk of poverty.
Furthermore, panellists also addressed the heavy burden placed on families, particularly women, when it comes to caregiving. The so-called “sandwich generation,” caring simultaneously for children and elderly relatives, faces exhaustion and burnout. Unlike those caring for children, caregivers are not entitled to sick leave when supporting elderly relatives, and support is limited to minimal benefits such as five days of unpaid eldercare leave, resulting in policies which place the primary responsibility for long-term and elder care on families but without sufficient institutional or legal support. A gender lens further revealed a systematic undervaluing of care work in society. Women continue to shoulder the majority of unpaid care work, both in private life and within employment, often through underpaid, insecure and short-term programmes.
Territorial disparities in public services were also highlighted, with smaller towns and rural areas lacking access to essential services and public transport. Despite growing housing insecurity and rising costs, especially for low-income families, recent housing policies were seen as lacking effective solutions, particularly in social housing. Lastly, the speakers highlighted the lack of systematic evaluation and comprehensive, disaggregated data, especially administrative data that connects local and national levels. This hinders the assessment of social programme effectiveness, impedes evidence-based policymaking, and restricts the ability to plan and implement effective interventions.
Local Practices and Challenges
The panel also showcased local solutions and challenges. The City of Zagreb highlighted alongside its existing range of social and educational benefits (such as: support for the elderly, newborns, single parents, and free school materials and scholarships), its recent investments in social and educational benefits, including a major expansion of early childhood education and care (ECEC) aiming to ensure a place for every child; increased early intervention programmes; long-term care initiatives; and free public transport for children under 18 and 65+ citizens.
The city of Koprivnica also shared several good practices, including (but not exhaustively): the provision of free school materials for all children and scholarships for all students in the city, free access to sports and cultural activities for children and seniors, and additional maternity or parental benefits available for self-employed mothers.
The panel discussion underscored that while cities and municipalities can and do play a critical role in addressing family poverty and care needs, their efforts must be supported by better national coordination, funding strategies, and data systems. This national event served as a powerful reminder that local innovation and political will can drive real change, but lasting progress requires systemic reform and a shift in how care, poverty, and social inclusion are addressed and coordinated across all levels of governance. We are looking forward to hearing the discussions from our other national events of the rEUsilience project soon and are thankful for the engaging participation and contribution to this panel in Croatia.