Supporting the Mental Well-being of Young Roma Children: What Are We Learning Through Practitioners and Families?

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Young children’s mental well-being shapes how they grow, learn, connect, and experience the world around them. Yet for many young Roma children across Europe, everyday experiences of poverty, discrimination, exclusion, and limited access to services can place significant pressure on their well-being from the earliest years.

At the same time, early childhood practitioners and families play an essential role in helping children feel safe, supported, and connected. But many professionals still report limited opportunities to reflect on children’s mental well-being in practical, structured, and culturally responsive ways.

This international online event, hosted on ECOS, brings together practitioners, researchers, Roma experts, ISSA members, and CHAVORE partners to explore what we are learning through practice about supporting the mental well-being of young Roma children.

The discussion will draw on emerging learning from the CHAVORE project, which works across countries to strengthen practitioners’ capacities and support families in responding to children’s well-being in meaningful and relationship-based ways.

Through reflections from implementing partners, participants will hear how awareness is shifting in different contexts, what changes practitioners are observing in their everyday work, and what challenges still remain. The event will also create space for shared reflection across countries and professional communities, connecting these experiences to wider conversations around equity, inclusion, mental health, and early childhood systems in Europe.

Alongside expert perspectives and research insights, the session will include interactive moments inviting participants to reflect on their own contexts, experiences, and practice.

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📣 What to expect from the event

Participants will have the opportunity to:

✔ Hear emerging learning and reflections from the CHAVORE pilot countries
✔ Explore how practitioners and families are supporting young children’s mental well-being in everyday practice
✔ Engage with researchers, Roma experts, practitioners, and early childhood networks across Europe
✔ Reflect together on what more is needed to support young Roma children’s well-being through inclusive and culturally responsive approaches

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🔗 Register Now‍