ESN Key Recommendations: Combating Discrimination and Promoting Integration

ESN has now published its key recommendations which draw on the contributions of and discussions among representatives of local and regional social services from 20 European countries participating in the ESN seminar in Venice on 20-21 July 2006.

The recommendations are accompanied by a full seminar report which synthesizes the content of the seminar and presents the recommendations which emerged.

Antidiscrimination and Integration

Antidiscrimination and integration are two key and closely related themes within Social Inclusion. They have been highlighted together by the European Commission as one of seven key policy priorities in social inclusion being pursued across the EU through the NAPs.

Social services have a key role to play in combating discrimination and promoting the integration of two groups at risk of social exclusion: (i) people with disabilities, and (ii) ethnic minorities and immigrants, paying special attention to the situation of the Roma in the enlarged European Union (EU).

Social services play three quite distinct roles in this area, firstly as providers of services to diverse communities; second, as major employers, and third as partners in the community promoting wider integration of vulnerable groups. The seminar drew on social services’ expertise in and experience of providing social services for these groups to bring out some points for development in the near future.

The seminar on this topic brought together representatives of social services from all levels of government including local to exchange best practice and experience and to highlight the European dimension to this issue. We will also review the preparation of the NAPs and examine local and regional strategies and plans in this area. Delegates will discuss how ESN as a network can best bring the lessons learned from the seminar to the attention of European and national policy-makers. Our network is well placed to bridge the gap between local and regional providers of public social services and national and European policy-makers.