esn/inclusion/activation

Introduction to the Theme

Social and Employment Activation is a theme of growing importance for social services in Europe and the last five years have seen the role of social services expanding in a number of countries. Where Denmark led the way in implementing its flexicurity model in the early 1990s other countries have followed in a process which has seen local social services' responsibility for employment measures grow.

The Netherlands' Work and Social Assistance Act of 2004 heralded a system which emancipated benefits claimants to reenter the labour market with the support and advice of local social services, in many local authorities renamed 'Department of Employment and Income'. Local authorities became responsible for social and employment activation in this reform and were allocated a specific capped budget to carry out their responsibilities.

Norway has followed a similar path in introducing a structural reform this year which created single access points ('employment and welfare offices') in every municipality in the country. These offices would make active use of individual plans for clients (i.e. citizens who use the service) which would be a social contract between them and the public services. This again reinforces the idea of empowering citizens who have seen themselves as excluded from the labour market and making them responsible for their activation in society and the labour market.

Activation is however not only about getting the long-term unemployed or young people back to work, it is also about social activation as a preparation for entering the labour market or as a substitute for it where there is no alternative. Social activation can refer to lifelong learning, voluntary and community work and subsidised public sector work.

Activation is also of increasing significance for the European Union and the EU Social Inclusion Process. The European Commission recently published a Communication on active inclusion of those 'furthest from the labour market', the beginning of a process which may see the EU acquire new powers in this area. That Communication stated that "employment is for many people the main safeguard against social exclusion, and the only measure that will 'pay for itself' in the long run."

The national reforms referred to above indicate a structural merging of support to take up employment with social benefits - as in 'employment and welfare offices', 'work and social assistance' and 'flexicurity'. Thus the theme for this seminar is social and employment activation.

For practical information about the seminar, please click on 'the seminar' above.

Social and Employment Activation, 25-26 October 2006, Metz (France) - Third ESN Social Inclusion Seminar

ESN held the third in its series of thematic inclusion seminars in Metz in October in partnership with UNCCAS, the Union Nationale des Centres Communaux d'Action Sociale.

Day one, 25 October.
Plenary: John Halloran (ESN) / Walter Zampieri (European Commission) / Tof Thissen (DIVOSA, Netherlands) / Sari Toiviainen (Helsinki City Council, Finland)

Forum 1 - education and training for activation: Katarzyna Kubin (IRSS, Poland) / Michele Maglio (Veneto Region, Italy)

Forum 2 - evolving role of local authorities in activation - a new trend?: Arild Sundberg (Government of Norway) / Matthias Schulze-Boeing (Offenbach City Council & Main-Arbeit GmbH, Germany) / Martine Seignier - INTERREG project (France-Belgium)

Forum 3 - activation for young people, older people, people with disabilities: Fredrik Baeckman (OCN/Urkraft, Sweden) / Juri Kore (Tartu university, Estonia) / Thérese Lorthois (CCAS Carvin, France)

Day two, 26 October. Local social inclusion strategy - Terry Madden and John Hanley (Dublin City Council)