Social inclusion as a political priority has been gathering momentum at EU level. The previous Portuguese Council Presidency hosted a social summit in Porto where all EU leaders signed an agreement on targets for social inclusion...

The Covid-19 pandemic has been a stress test of enormous proportions for the social services workforce. With the national spotlight on them, the challenges of coping with an increased workload coupled with a shrinking budget, were...

A central component of community care is ensuring that services are tailored to the needs of the individual in terms of accessibility and practical implementation. At the European Social Services Conference (ESSC), we heard from...

For social services working with vulnerable populations, ethical issues are often present in practice. The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to these uncertainties.

Is it possible to get value for money when investing in community care? That was the question discussed at the ‘Economics of Community Care’ plenary session of the European Social Services Conference organised by the European...

Technology has been instrumental in improving services, including remote counselling, individual support, case management and the collection, analysis and use of data to maximise the effectiveness of social interventions. However...

The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a grim toll on community social care across Europe. Previous lack of adequate investment had already left the sector without the necessary equipment to manage the crisis, which also raises questions...

How can we ensure and measure progress in achieving the right to affordable long-term care (LTC) services of good quality, as stipulated by the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR)? This question is currently being discussed at...

Right now, nearly 18 million children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in Europe. The Covid-19 crisis is expected to have greatly exacerbated these inequalities. However, public social services have now gained a...