Next June, we will be taking the European Social Services Conference to the World Forum in The Hague, directly adjacent to the seat of the Dutch government, the Dutch Parliament and the Peace Palace.
So, with decentralisation in full flow since 1st January - which should be granting more power to local authorities - what mood can we expect in the Netherlands next summer? Does the future really feel ‘local’ there as municipalities take over responsibility in the social policy domain?
To find out more, we eavesdropped on the annual conference from ESN Member Divosa entitled ‘The power to change: the art of transforming’ which took place in Zwolle on 26 November. There, we found Dutch colleagues in a philosophical yet reactive mood … a sense that opportunity was around the corner, despite the current state of uncertainty and transition.
Our power to change has to withstand the force of habit
René Paas, Director of Divosa
“If we want to change people’s lives, we must first look at how we can change ourselves. Continuing on the existing road is not a good recipe. We’re using words like ‘transformation’, so the world cannot remain the same. Our power to change therefore has to withstand the force of habit. Until now, decentralisation has come with a lot of extra regulations, which makes our job a hard one. But we need to take the next step and think about what a better world looks like.”
Decentralisation must lead to differences
Han Noten, Mayor of Dalfsen & Chair of the Transition Committee of the Interior Ministry
“With decentralisation, we’re going to have to learn from each other’s differences. The idea is that you make choices on the spot based on self-determined policy, which might be different to your neighbours’ solutions. So we must now take responsibility for our own choices. Bureaucracy gives you security; but it is now dismantled. And still we are hiding behind rules and regulations to say that we can’t change. But take a closer look at the law: there are more possible exceptions than one might think. It is not so much about being able to change, but about whether or not one wants to change.”
Embrace the power of storytelling and experimentation
Chris Sigaloff, Director of Kennisland
Chris Sigaloff gave a clear example of why we need to run experiments in the social domain. To illustrate how we can make a difference by involving all stakeholders, she talked about a study on improving youth care. For four days she took along a youth team to capture the stories of 17 young people living in an institution in Amsterdam. These stories were further developed by her team and fed back to the youths. Together, they identified key issues running through the stories: e.g. a lack of cooperation between agencies, services not meeting the needs of young people, etc. She noticed a mismatch between life inside and outside the institution - young people indicated that they did not feel heard. The power of storytelling was used to create interaction between all the stakeholders. Through this approach, Kennisland tries to decrease the gap between communicative rationality and the public sphere.
From authority to agency
Jan Rotmans, Professor of Transition management, Erasmus University Rotterdam
"An intermediate period in which chaos reigns provides the chance to change things. If you really want to change, you have to release the old. We should celebrate chaos.” Rotman predicts that the disruptive citizen is coming, as well as a disruptive economics and technology. This will tilt all sectors such as healthcare, education and welfare. "All sectors are in transition – the social domain too". Beware!
These are merely soundbites from the Divosa conference, one of the many voices in the Netherlands trying to improve services for vulnerable people. We will be exploring in more detail these issues at the 24th European Social Services Conference ‘The future is local!’, 20-22 June 2016 in The Hague. Join us there to find out more!