Council of the European Union
EPSCO Council Meeting, 8-9 Dec 2008
French Presidency of the European Union

10 December 2008

Active Inclusion: Time to give full recognition to the role of local public social services
 

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you as Director of the European Social Network (ESN), the network for directors of social work and social care services working at the local level. On behalf of the ESN working group on active inclusion, established in early 2008, I would like to encourage you to give full consideration to the role of local public social services in relation to the EU active inclusion initiative and national policy.

At the recent EPSCO Council meeting on 8-9 December, you endorsed the European Commission Recommendation on active inclusion of people excluded from the labour market.

ESN welcomes the Recommendation of the European Commission, its holistic approach and the visibility it gives to people furthest from the labour market. As directors of local public social and employment services, we know from experience the most excluded require intensive well-coordinated support from social, employment, health, education and income services.

We were concerned that the particular role of local public social services is not as visible in the Recommendation as it should be. However, social services are key actors in supporting people furthest from the labour market, often already social work clients, to move towards the labour market or alternative forms of participation. The experience and expertise of local public social services in piloting and implementing active inclusion approaches can provide valuable direction for effective policy-making.

We therefore call on national governments to work closely with local public social services from the earliest stages to develop and implement effective policies in this area.

In the present economic context, it is important that national policy-making continue to invest in the active inclusion of people furthest from the labour market, whilst also putting in place measures to ease transitions for people who have lost their job as a result of the downturn.

We warmly invite you to read the enclosed ESN brochure Realising Potential: Social Services and Active Inclusion bringing together the views of experienced managers of integrated services in the area of active inclusion.

Should you wish to find out more about our work to promote good practice exchange and learning on active inclusion, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

With my very best regards,
 
John Halloran
Director
European Social Network