It is known that family education is a crucial aspect in everyone’s academic and social success. However, the most vulnerable families, from ethnic minorities or migrants, are more likely to encounter higher barriers to taking part in these kinds of initiatives, and when they are able to do so their involvement is restricted (Addi-Raccah & Grinshtain, 2017; Macías-Aranda et al., 2019). Since ensuring quality education for all is an international priority (SDG4), fostering the educational participation of vulnerable families remains a challenge to be addressed in Europe (Bove & Sharmahd, 2020). This is particularly important for Roma families, as otherwise the social and educational inequalities they have been facing for decades are likely to be perpetuated.

It should be stressed that the social and educational situation of the Roma community is of great concern in all EU member states. In Spain, 59% of Roma households have low work intensity compared to 17% of other households while only 12% of Roma pupils successfully complete secondary education compared to 74% of other pupils (EU-FRA, 2018). Similarly, only 2% of Roma have university qualifications compared to 35% of the rest of the population and more than half of Roma have only finished primary education (Macías-Aranda et al., 2019). Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis is further exacerbating this community’s circumstances (Arza-Porras et al., 2020) as the Roma were already experiencing inequality and vulnerability prior to the pandemic, presenting worse indicators in all social areas and particularly in education, health, housing and employment.

Especially in recent years, a number of organisations and authorities have been rolling out policies and measures to tackle this situation and help the Roma community. An example is the Government of Catalonia’s Integrated Plan for the Roma (PIPG in its Catalan initialism) which has responded to the challenge of enhancing the social impact of its programmes and actions. This has involved firmly committing to implementing measures consistent with the results of high impact research as one of its core action strands designed to efficiently and effectively improve the social position of the Roma. Hence the PIPG is running several family education-based programmes, a successful educational action whose social impact has been confirmed by educational research, particularly in terms of improving educational attainment and working and social conditions for families along with their children’s learning (García-Carrión, Molina-Luque, & Roldán, 2018; Soler et al., 2020). This impact has been even more apparent with respect to vulnerable families as in the case of the Roma (García-Yeste, Morlà, & Yeste, 2018; Macías-Aranda et al., 2020).

The restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis since March 2019 such as home lockdown and social distancing have inevitably generated a new learning setting in Roma households as well. This has compelled schools and other organisations including the one implementing the PIPG to put in place innovative strategies in these new intercultural learning settings, mostly delivered in digital and online environments.

One of the main objectives of the research presented in this paper was to analyse the impact of the PIPG’s family education programmes during the COVID-19 crisis. To this end, this study answered three research questions: 1) What were the main difficulties encountered by Roma families in participating in the PIPG’s family education programmes?; 2) What innovative strategies did the PIPG pursue in order to keep these programmes in place?; and 3) What educational and social impact did these programmes have?

The research described here was conducted under communicative methodology guidelines and principles through case study analysis and a qualitative approach. Communicative methodology is used for analysing social phenomena, situations and interactions with an emphasis on the components generating social exclusion and the ones which help to overcome it. This methodology is largely based on inter-subjective dialogue and an egalitarian relationship between the research team and the participants, and its social impact on research with cultural minorities such as the Roma has already been demonstrated (Flecha, 2014; Gómez et al., 2019). Indeed, for decades the Roma have been calling for socially constructive intervention and research in which their views and engagement are taken into consideration and which caters for the real needs of this community so as to enhance their social situation (Amador, 2016; Vargas & Gómez, 2003). The case study in this research focuses on the PIPG, and specifically on three of its family education programmes for Roma which are based on official tests carried out by the Spanish administration: 1) the GESO, a preparation course to sit the lower secondary education certificate exam for people over 18; 2) the University Entrance Group (GAU), a preparation course to sit the official university entrance exams for people aged over 25 and aged over 45; 3) and the PAP, a preparation course to sit the personal aptitude tests required for undergraduate teacher training programmes. Although the research presented here is still ongoing as it began in March 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in December 2022, this paper sets out the results achieved in the first stage of the study (March 2019 – December 2020). In this first stage, the following data collection techniques were used: - Documentary analysis of secondary data. A total of 186 documents were reviewed (160 attendance lists, 20 teacher monitoring reports and six academic coordination reports); - Twenty communicative guidance interviews with teachers, students, volunteers and PIPG coordinators; and - Twelve communicative observations during the classes run in the three education programmes referred to above. In this stage, the sample consisted of 36 people, 33 of whom were Roma (one coordinator, four teachers and 28 students). The information was analysed following communicative methodology guidelines by identifying factors which hinder Roma participation in the education programmes along with strategies and measures which foster their inclusion and success.

Since the new intercultural learning settings have been compelled to operate mostly in digital and online environments, the main difficulties encountered by Roma families are the following: 1) poor digital skills; 2) a dearth of resources and appropriate conditions in Roma households (overcrowding, substandard housing, no Wi-Fi connectivity, scarcity of electronic devices such as tablets and PCs, etc.); 3) and the low level of educational attainment of the bulk of household members. These difficulties are the upshot of the huge digital and educational divide that the Roma community has been experiencing for years, and which has become even plainer during the pandemic. In order to address and resolve these difficulties, the PIPG has put in place a number of innovative strategies and measures: - to employ a digital intuitive and user-friendly platform and already known by the participants; - to hire Roma facilitators to deliver more personalised follow-up of the participants along with quicker and more approachable help for them; - to provide specific training on how to use the digital platform and, in some cases, even supplying electronic devices. Thanks to this strategies, the social and educational impact of the PIPG’s family education programmes has been significant during the 1st research stage: a) 42% have entered university via the exams for people aged over 25 and aged over 45; b) 50% have passed the personal aptitude test for undergraduate teacher training programmes; c) 46% have earned the lower secondary education certificate for people over 18; d) and average attendance was 85%, with occasional absenteeism and justified dropouts (e.g. illness or death in the family). All these figures are similar to the national average success rate before COVID-19. Finally, preliminary findings suggest that Roma who have taken part in these educational programmes have been less hard hit by the effects of the pandemic.

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