Overview
The Research Group was established in 2026 with the aim of conducting a comprehensive, empirically based evaluation of the Hungarian child welfare and child protection system, with a particular focus on its practical operation and the full realization of children’s rights, in accordance with the standards of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the professional objectives of the Child Protection Act.
The research group broadly examines the institutional enforcement of children’s rights, forms of support for disadvantaged and at-risk children as well as those growing up without families, and the social contexts of abuse. We focus on systems-based approaches and the examination of innovative intervention models and best practices in both child welfare and specialized care.
The research group’s activities have a dual focus: academic and policy-oriented. On the one hand, it produces scientific findings through participation in domestic and international research; on the other hand, it seeks to channel these findings into policy decision-making and implementation, regional professional practice, and higher education.
The research group aims to contribute to the development of the child protection system through scientifically grounded, practice-oriented recommendations.
Key topics:
the enforcement of children’s rights in society, and more specifically within the child protection institutional system
support for disadvantaged, at-risk, and children and youth growing up without families
the social contexts of abuse
managing family crises
managing youth crises (self-harm, delinquency, addiction, and mental disorders within the family)
a trauma-informed approach in the care system
welfare pluralism and collaborations to support children
systems-oriented child protection work, innovative approaches
directions for child protection development
The Research Group collaborates with the Social Traumas Research Group (led by Ágnes Kövér-Van Til), thus the integration of these two research areas creates an opportunity for child protection issues to be understood not merely as problems of the care system or specific policies, but also within the context of social inequalities, intergenerational trauma, and structural violence. This is particularly important in the case of disadvantaged, at-risk, and children and youth growing up without families.
Other collaborating partners include the Oslo Centre for Children's Rights (OCRights) and the Centre for Advanced Research on Integrity, Rights and Inclusion of the Child (CIRIC). (Principal investigator, contact person: Asgeir Falch-Eriksen)
Research group members
Research Group Leader:
Andrea RÁCZ – child welfare, specialized child protection services, professional ethics, system development trends
Research group members:
Ágnes LUX – children’s rights
Dorottya SIK – child welfare prevention, family therapy approaches
Andrea GRUBER – support for disadvantaged youth, experiential education methods
Tünde BULYÁKI – managing family crises, support for people with mental health issues
Judit SZÉCSI – assisting families affected by addiction and the children growing up in such families, the role of personal involvement among child protection workers
Gábor JUHÁSZ – children’s rights, child protection prevention
Ágnes KÖVÉR-VAN TIL – social trauma, addressing institutional violence
Nóra MENICH – quality of life for children with disabilities or special educational needs and their families
Mária ARAPOVICS – children’s learning opportunities, leisure activities, and communities outside the school system
Keywords
children's rights, child welfare, child protection, the social contexts of abuse, family crises, a trauma-informed approach
Contact information (leader)
Andrea RÁCZ
Department of Social Work
ELTE Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest, Hungary
Address: 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A
E-mail: racz.andrea.aniko@tatk.elte.hu