There are currently a total of 57 Network participants in EurofamNet, and 19 National Working Groups composed of a total of 285 members.
Oriola Hamzallari
ABOUT
Doctoral studies investigating the associations between early parenting practices and the socio-emotional development of toddlers. Fulbright postdoctoral research program, research on parental emotion regulation, self-efficacy, parental knowledge and infant emotion regulation. Research findings important for designing parental programs based on the emotional needs of parents and children.
Ivana Dobrotic
ABOUT
Ivana Dobrotic is affiliated to the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Law, Department of Social Work, Social Policy Unit (Croatia) as Associate Professor of Comparative Social Policy. Ivana is currently a Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, working on the InCare project – “Social and gender inequalities in care: childcare-related policies and parenting practices in the post-Yugoslav countries and the role of policy ideas”.
Ivana´s research is focused on comparative social policy with a particular interest in care-related leave policies and services, early childhood education, gender and social inequalities.
Before joining the University of Zagreb, she worked as an expert in Croatian ministry in charge of poverty and social inclusion policies, and gender equality. She has been working as an expert or researcher on numerous projects related to different areas of social policy for Croatian Government, EIGE platform, European Commission, Council of Europe, UNPD and UNICEF.
Eliška Kodyšová
ABOUT
Expert in family focused prevention of mental illness and risk behaviour in children and adolescents. Promoting the use and awareness of evidence-based practices in the Czech Republic.
Hana Hašková
ABOUT
Sociology of families and intimate lives. Research on the development and the relations between childcare policies, discourses and childcare practices. Intersectional research approach; focus on inequalities.
Austria
Arja Krauchenberg
Belgium
Agata D’Addato
ABOUT
Agata is Head of Programmes at Eurochild, a membership network of organisations and individuals working WITH and FOR children throughout Europe. She leads Eurochild’s strategic planning of funded-partnerships and programmes. She manages relationships to strengthen the sustainability and impact of Eurochild programmes and campaigns, including the First Years, First Priority, a Europe-wide campaign on early childhood development.
Before joining Eurochild in 2008, Agata, who holds a PhD in Demography, worked as a researcher in various universities and well-renowned research institutes across Europe in the fields of demographic change and family policies.
Alfonso Montero
ABOUT
Alfonso Lara Montero is the Chief Executive Officer of the European Social Network (ESN) that brings together public authorities in the field of social services responsible for managing, financing, delivering and inspecting social services across Europe. Working closely with them, ESN supports social inclusion and better life chances through the delivery of quality social services.
Alfonso has led in the past ESN’s thematic work on mental health, children’s services, integrated services and evidence-based social services. He has authored and co-authored several publications on social services, such as ‘Investing in children’s services’, ‘Integrated social services in Europe’, ‘Investing in the social services workforce’, and the ‘Toolkit for planning and evaluating social services”.
He is a regular contributor to academic journals, newspapers, specialist social services magazines, and participates in the advisory board of several European social inclusion research projects. Alfonso is a graduate from the College of Europe, University College London and The Solvay Business School.
Annemie Drieskens
ABOUT
Master in law and for more then 30 years actively involved in Gezinsbond, the largest Family organization in Belgium representing 250.000 families.
Since 2012, as president of Coface Families Europe in daily contact with families and their representatives all over Europe and very active advocating for All families and in close contact with the European Institutions and researchers.
Christopher Clouder
ABOUT
Teacher in Secondary Education for 20 years. Teacher Trainer at Plymouth University.
Founder of Alliance for Childhood in Brussels and Director of Botin Foundation research into Social and Emotional Education.
Mentor European Network for Steiner-Waldorf Parents. Motivational international speaker on childhood and educational matters.
Johanna Schima
ABOUT
Head of the European Delegation and Vice-president of Make Mothers Matter (MMM), studied law and philosophy in Colombia, and holds a master degree of laws, LL.M, from Harvard University. Has worked at the organistion since 2014, particularly on developing MMM’s advocacy to influence European policies and legislation to bring about positive changes in the lives of mothers, which will, have a positive impact on their children, family and society as a whole.
The organisation advocates to give value to the unpaid family care work, working primarily for a better balance of family life and professional life, gender equality, maternal health and mental health care, economic empowerment of mothers and their families and family support programs.
Martin Lichte
Spain
Victor Petuya
ABOUT
Since May 2019, I started to serve in the EPA Board as vice-president and secretary. In November 2019 I was elected as President of EPA.
Since 2008 I am the President of FAPAE (Federation of Parent’s Associations of Euskadi). FAPAE is one of the most active Federations in the Basque Country (Spain).
Since 2008 I am the President of the Boars of the Parents´ Association of our school.
Portugal
Joana Sequeira
ABOUT
Researcher and Professor in the field of family psychology at a University in Portugal.
Trainer of professionals in several fields of family, couple and systemic intervention.
Elected Member of the trainers institute chamber of European Family Therapy Association
Carmel Devaney
ABOUT
Lecturer in UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the National University of Ireland, Galway.
Director of the Masters Degree in Family Support Studies.
Experience as Manager and Practitioner in statutory Child Protection and Welfare Services in Ireland.
John Canavan
ABOUT
He has been involved in developing Family Support as a policy and practice paradigm and has co-edited / co-authored three books on the subject.
He has undertaken many research and evaluation studies on the operation of Family Support services particularly in the Child Welfare and Protection area.
He is co-founder of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre which has Family Support as one of its two key research strands.
Daniela Moreno Boudon
Paola Milani
ABOUT
Leader of P.I.P.P.I. (Intervention Program to Prevent Institutionalization). Funded by the Ministry of Welfare since 2011, it is the largest program ever implemented in Italy in the field of social policies: it involves all 20 Italian regions, around 2,500 families, more than 6,000 service and school operators. It was launched in the context of European legislation.
The expertise in the management of relationships between public and private institutions (Regions, Municipalities, Ministry, Universities, etc.) and between stakeholders belonging to different contexts, keeping a strong focus on the relationship between practice and research.
The management of international partnerships with universities, research centers, social services of different European and non-European countries and the teaching of the discipline “family education” at university level, both in Padua University and at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland for many years.
Sarah Serbati
ABOUT
Since 2011, I am involved in programmes for responding to the chill neglect (PIPPI Programme for the Prevention of Institutionalisation and other minor programmes). The programmes purpose actions to be implemented with families and children and sessions for reflecting between researchers and practitioners about the proposal of the programmes. From these sessions new knowledge id created.
I am involved in a reflection about the meaning of evidence in social work. How to include the reasoning and thinking of people that are key to realize changes with families? I involved international networks in such thinking.
Coordination of the work between academics and practitioners.
Daiva Skuciene
Angela Abela
ABOUT
Professor and founding Head of the Department of Family Studies at the University of Malta. As a clinical psychologist, family therapist and systemic supervisor, she also works with couples, children and their families and supervises teams of practitioners working with vulnerable families.
Chair of the National Centre for Family Research of the President of Malta’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and is a consultant for the Maltese government and the Standing Committees for Social and Family Affairs in Parliament. As an expert for the Council of Europe, she worked on the Policy to Support Positive Parenting and is lead author of the Strategic Policy on Positive Parenting for Malta launched in 2016. She has published widely and is an associate editor of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, an international advisory editor of Contemporary Family Therapy and is on the editorial board of Children Australia.
Her research projects include studies on marital satisfaction, couple conflict and family violence, families living in poverty, families where one of the members faces mental illness, lone parent families, parenting, and children in out-of-home care.
Branko Bošković
ABOUT
PhD in the area related to the topic, because it was devoted to the research of political sociology of Anthony Giddens and a part of it was on modernity, including transformation of family, care and its relationship to the labour market.
Welfare state research, especially social investment approach.
Research on services and support related to family, especially preschool education and related institutions.
Caroline Vink
ABOUT
I am a senior advisor at the Netherlands Youth Institute, a knowledge institute on the issue of children, youth and families. I am responsible for the international knowledge work of our institute and projectresponsible for the support for parents and parenting. In the past I have been co chailr of the Eurochild working group on family and parenting support. I have an extended international and Dutch network comprised of practitioners, researchers and policy makers.
Cecile Winkelman
ABOUT
Evidence based parenting programs: Triple P, Positive Parenting.
Cultural and religious diversity and parenting.
Implementation and policy in prevention and youth care.
More parents receive evidence-based parenting support.
Evidence based programs are more sensitive to diversity.
Research is tailored and informed by practice problems.
Patty Leijten
ABOUT
In my work as an Assistant Professor in Child Development at the University of Amsterdam, I study the nature of parent-child interactions, and how we can strengthen the effects of programs to support parents and enhance children’s well-being.
For example, I study the key parenting techniques programs should teach parents to reduce children’s conduct problems, child and family factors that help us predict how much families benefit from parenting programs, and how we can optimize the effects of parenting programs.
My research includes parenting program evaluation trials, traditional and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis, and microtrials of the effects of discrete parenting program components.
Irena Avirovic
ABOUT
She is active in the field of Family Studies focusing on the historical and socio-cultural evolution of the family. Assistant Professor at the Institute of Family Studies, Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, University “SS. Cyril and Methodius” since 2014.
Research interest focused on cultural and social changes in the Balkan region during the 20th century, history of family and marriage, multiculturalism and ethnic diversity.
Makedonka Radulovic
ABOUT
Graduated at the Faculty of Law, at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius “in Skopje. Master (2009) and PhD (2011) in Sociology, European Integration Studies. Associete Professor at the Department of Family studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje.
Scientific and research interest is in the field of Family, Family Changes and Family Health, with focus on Family in EU Strategy, Family and Educational Institutions in the EU and Family Planning.
Vice president of the European Movement, Republic North Macedonia.
Mona Sandbæk
ABOUT
My work-related experience from the Council of Europe’secretariat (2004-2007), in particular my involvement in drafting of the report Positive Parenting in Contemporary Europe (2007).
Analyses of Council of Europe Rec (2006)19 & European Recommendation C(2013) on Investing in children:breaking the cycle of disadvantage – published in the article: M.Sandbaek (2017). European Policies to Promote Children’s Rights and Combat Child Poverty. International Journal of Environmental Research and public Health,14 (8), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14080837.
Research on child poverty (2000- and ongoing) & on Child welfare and protection services (1984-ongoing). Both fields of research with a particular focus on children’s rights and support to families.
Øivin Christiansen
ABOUT
Family support has been an important subject in my professional career, first as a social worker in municipal Child Welfare Services (CWS), and subsequently as a teacher and researcher in social work and child welfare. Currently I am working as a Senior Researcher at NORCE Health, Norwegian Research Center.
A few years ago, I was the leading researcher in a national study on Norwegian CWS’s family support and in-home measures. My special interest is on the double role of family support, promoting health, welfare and positive development to children and families in need, and simultaneously conveying norms and standards for parenting practice and family life.I have been engaged in family support through social work practice, education and research.
Justyna Michałek-Kwiecień
ABOUT
My research interests focus on links between family factors and personal identity development in adolescence and emerging adulthood, among others in the context of parents’ labour migration.
I am involved in longitudinal project related to transition to parenthood.
I have experience in data analysis and advanced statistical methods, especially in family studies.
Ana Almeida
Ana Catarina Canário
ABOUT
Contracted Researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Science at the University of Porto, where previously developed research activities as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Currently involved in two research projects funded by the Portuguese Science Foundation (as co-PI and PI, respectively), targeting the evaluation of the efficacy and effectiveness of evidence-based parenting interventions.
Has research interests in the fields of evidence-based parenting interventions, family support, developmental psychology, translational research, prevention science, quality standards in the evaluation of evidence-based interventions, quantitative methods and advanced data analysis.
Cristina Nunes
ABOUT
Associated Professor with habilitation in University of Algarve and integrated member in the Center of Investigation in Psychology (CIP-UAL).
Extensive experience in the study of families at psychosocial risk and coordinated the team that adapted and translated the Family Training and Support Program (FAF; Hidalgo et al., 2010) for Portugal.
Participation in several national and international R+D research projects in this field.
Marisa Matias
ABOUT
Research on the impact of work-family balance on family relationships (parental and couple) and on child development; holding a gender perspective.
Solid methodological and quantitative data analyses skills, namely using surveys, dyadic and diary designs.
Experience in international projects; design and development of cross-national studies
Orlanda Cruz
ABOUT
My research interests relate to parenting interventions and child development.
I am trained and have got accreditation in several programs of the Triple P- Positive Parenting Program (Seminars, Discussion Groups, Level 4 Group Triple P).
I am currently conducting a randomized control trial on Lifestyle Group Triple P (for parents of overweight and obese children) and an efficacy study of Standard Triple P (for parents referred by the Child Protective services).
Anita Burgund Isakov
ABOUT
My involment is mainly in the area of family support workforce skills as I am Mc substitute for this working group.
I have been involved in STSM in the area of systematic literature review of familysupport workforce skills.
I have published within the team report on workforce skills, scientific paper and a policy brief.
Jelena Arsić
ABOUT
University Professor of Family Law, Child Rights and Mediation; certified family mediator, trainer in mediation and negotiation; Coordinator of the Family Law and Child Rights Legal Clinic (university based free legal aid program); Extensive consultancy practice in Serbia and in the region in the areas of family law, child rights, mediation and other family supportive processes (with OHCHR, UNDP, Save the Children, EIDHR, CIDA, SIDA, etc.)
Sanja Polić
ABOUT
As a PhD student and junior research assistant I am interested in PhD thesis “development of competencies of professional workforce within social welfare for family support”.
During my scientific–researching work, I was engaged in several projects, connected to different aspects of family support. As social worker and family counselor I have acquired experience in work with families in governmental and non-governmental sectors.
Personally and professionally I am very interested to work on improvement of policy and practice of family support.
Nina Mešl
ABOUT
Associate professor and researcher at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work. She is a social worker and Gestalt experiential family psychotherapist. Her areas of interest include social work with families, theories of help in social work, and trauma. In recent years, she has researched and published on uses of theories in practice, social work with families facing multiple challenges, and trauma and social work.
Tadeja Kodele
ABOUT
Assistant at University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Work – course Social Work with Families, research and publishing in area of social work with families.
Cooperation in international project “Helping families in community: co-creation of desired changes for reducing social exclusion and strengthening health” ( Norwegian Financial Mechanism, 2015-2016).
Cooperation in international Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project “Learning to Innovate with Families – LIFE” ( 2016-2019)
Ana Pizarro Carmona
ABOUT
Participation in international networking in multidisciplinary teams and experience in coordination between members of a research team.
Experience in the evaluation of intervention programmes in the field of families at psychosocial risk and the analysis of different aspects of it through different data collection methods, both quantitative and qualitative.
Experience in the dissemination of research data in different contexts: congresses, papers, evaluation reports, conferences.
David Herrera
ABOUT
Socio-educational action with Children, adolescents and young people at social risk.
Socio-educational acompaniment, Equal Opportunities, Empowerment, Inclusion, Social justice, Networking, Ecosystem Approach.
Biographical research methodology.
Life history, Life story, Lifeline, Cross-narrative model,…
Innovative teaching.
Active learning methodologies, Service-Learning (SL), PBL (Project-Based/Problem-Based Learning), Research-based learning.
Isabel M. Bernedo
ABOUT
My research areas include family foster care, families in social exclusion, family relationships and children under protection.
I have participated and participate in several projects, such as the FEDER foundation, the Government of Spain, and the Government of Andalusia.
I have had research papers published in various journals in relation with family, children and Social Work. I has been invited at a number of international conferences and symposia. Research results are given to the Child Protection Services (CPS, Andalusia, Spain) and social workers, in order to implement programs and support to improve children’s lives and their families.
Javier de Frutos
ABOUT
He is participating in the agreement between the Spanish Ministry of Health and the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) to promote the Positive Parenting in the Spanish Local Institutions.
He works in the field of families and childhood, providing tools and networks to the Spanish Local Governments.
He has had experiences in other European projects addressed to the Local Institutions, as Platform (network of cooperation to development) or the European Charter for Equality.
Jean Grasmeijer
Lucía González Pasarín
ABOUT
Work experience in residential care as a psychologist.
Primary research interest in support interventions for families at psychosocial risk, based on positive parenting perspective. In this way, I have participated in various national and international congresses.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Research Group of Excellence in Childhood, Adolescence and Families (GRIAF) at Universitat de Lleida, and belongs to Chair in Education and Adolescence “Abel Martínez Oliva” of Universitat de Lleida dedicated to the transfer of knowledge to inform socio-educational practices with adolescents. Part of the Research Group on Family Foster Care and Adoption (GIAFA), Universidad de Málaga, where I developed my doctoral thesis. My PhD project (international and cum laude mention) consisted in the design, implementation and evaluation of the psychoeducational programme, Visits: a context for family development (EDU201677094-P), aimed at improving the quality of visits between birth families and their children in foster care. This programme has been published in the Observatory of Childhood and Adolescence of Andalusia (OIA-A).
Lucía Jiménez
ABOUT
Experience in advising practitioners, public and private institutions on child and family support programmes’ implementation and evaluation.
Participant and project manager of several granted research projects related to the design and evaluation of family education and support programmes, particularly aimed at vulnerable families.
Former national representative of the Young Researchers Union from the European Association for Developmental Psychology.
María José Rodrigo
ABOUT
My research topic is Evidence-based parenting programmes to promote positive parenting in the families under at risk circumstances and prevent child maltreatment on which I have published many international papers.
Expert commissioned by the Spanish Ministry of Health, Social Policy and Equality to promote good practices among professionals in the use of evidence-based and preventive approaches for family work.
Prof. Rodrigo and her team have designed, implemented and evaluated evidence-based group parenting programs targeted at families referred by the local social services.
Sonia Byrne
ABOUT
PhD Assistant Professor at the Developmental and Educational Psychology Department at the University of La Laguna. Lecturer in the Master in Family, Social and Community-based Intervention and Mediation, and Undergraduate Degrees such as Psychology and Education.
She has worked in the design, implementation and evaluation of parenting programs, all of them evidence-based programs aimed at psychosocial risk families and the promotion of positive competences in adolescence.
She has published some articles, chapters and books in the field, one of them specifically related to this COST Action “Interventions to Promote Positive Parenting in Spain” in “The Cambridge Handbook of International Prevention Science” (2017), that it was a first approach of evidence-based programs developed in Spain.
Sofía Baena
ABOUT
Participation in different projects aimed at designing and evaluating psychoeducational programs within a positive parenting framework, both aimed at general and targeted populations. Transference and collaboration between researchers and practitioners were key elements of these projects.
Dissertation focused on supporting families that have particular support needs, such as families with a child on the autism spectrum disorder and families with a child with mental health issues.
Dissertation focused on hearing the voices of different members of the family as a way of incorporating their perceived needs and expectations in the provision of services.
Victoria Hidalgo
ABOUT
Experience in the design and evaluation of parental support programmes, especially with at risk families.
Member of the group of experts advising the Spanish government on family support.
Author of the Spanish Best Practice Guide for Positive Parenting.
Metin Özdemir
ABOUT
- Parent-focused preventive intervention.
- Program development and evaluation.
- Research design and advanced statistical methods.
Roberta Ruggiero
ABOUT
Dr. Roberta Ruggiero is a Senior Research Associate and the Academic Coordinator of the Children’s Rights European Academic Network (CREAN) at the University of Geneva’s Centre for Children’s Rights Studies (CCRS). Since 2003 she has been involved in the development of data collection monitoring systems, policy development and evaluation, and indicator sets on children’s rights at national and international levels. Most recently, as a member of the indicators development team of the GlobalChild Project (GlobalChild). Before her current position, she was the scientific coordinator of the European Network of National Observatories on Childhood (ChildONEurope), Istituto Degli Innocenti (2008-2013), Senior Lecturer at the University of Padua, and External Professor of children’s rights at the University of Molise.
Dr Ruggiero is a member of the Working Group on National Child Maltreatment Data Collection of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice (Springer). She holds a MA in law, a MA in human rights and democratization from the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratization (EIUC), a PhD in children’s rights from a socio-legal perspective (University of Molise), and has also completed specialized courses on public policy analysis, including at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Burcu Kömürcü
ABOUT
- Doctorate thesis on assessment of protective and risk factors in terms of mother-infant attachment in preterm and full-term birth
- Visiting scholarship at Vrije University, Child and Family Studies Section under advisory of Prof. Dr. Carlo Schuengel
- Ongoing studies related to helicopter parenting
- Ongoing project that includes refugee mothers
- Research skills in validity and reliability analysis, and scale adaptation
- Experience in research design, data collection, data analysis and writing articles
Harriet Churchill
ABOUT
Lecturer in Social Work and Social Policy, Department of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield, UK.
Social policy and Sociology academic background with policy analysis/research specialisms in comparative social policy, political and institutional drivers and contexts for family support, evaluation research in family support, service user perspectives and lived experiences in relation to child and family welfare / services.
Empirical research in relation to parenting support, child welfare and multi-agency service models.
Mandi MacDonald
ABOUT
I have extensive experience as a social worker in statutory children’s services, in family support and child protection teams, prior to joining Queens University in 2010.
I have helped develop and evaluate the Building Better Futures framework for assessing and enhancing parenting capacity in child protection, working closely with social workers.
I teach and have published research on the needs and rights of children who are in care or adopted and their families, in particular adoption, kinship foster care and informal kinship care.