22nd European Social Services Conference workshops

The impact of the economic crisis on people and communities in many countries has been considerable: indeed, increasing demands coupled with reductions in public expenditure have added significant pressure on social services. This has also created an opportunity to review the design and delivery of social services and respond in innovative ways – e.g. through targeted investment in people and communities, ICT solutions, structural and cultural changes, or performance management. The European Social Network (ESN) has been working closely with its members to explore the different responses to the crisis and austerity. This will continue during its 22nd European Social Services Conference, taking place in Rome on 7-9 July, through a wide range of workshops.

Different management approaches to social and elderly care services during the crisis (Denmark, Finland, Spain, United Kingdom)

This workshop is a follow up to the ESN working group Leadership, Performance and Innovation. It will focus on examples from different countries on how to manage and change social services for the elderly during the crisis amid cost reductions. The case studies from four ESN members - the Autonomous Government of Galicia in Spain, the City of Hämeenlinna in Finland, the Municipality of Randers in Denmark, and the London Borough of Redbridge in the United Kingdom – will present management tools in relation to structural and cultural changes, rehabilitation and social inclusion methods, and performance management in the ways services are being produced and delivered. A common feature for all four case studies is that they all introduce tools to produce better social services for the elderly using the same or reduced budgets.
Read more about the experiences of social services in Europe with the economic crisis in ESN’s working paper ‘Responding to the economic crisis and austerity’.

Calculating the cost of inaction: Promoting social investment through the use of
technology (Poland)

‘Social investment’ has become a buzz-word in European social policy. It has been used as a tool to argue for targeted investment in people and communities. But what tools can be used to encourage decision makers to invest in certain policies? This workshop will present the ICT tools developed by ESN member, the Mazovian Social Policy Centre, in partnership with the Warsaw School of Economics, to make the case for implementing evidence-based social policy. This is an example of social innovation prepared within the framework of a project financed by the European Social Fund. Examples of similar projects from other countries will also feature in the presentation.
Read more about the evidence-based approach for social services in ESN’s working paper ‘Innovation, research & evidence-based practice’.

Building an effective stakeholder driven local poverty strategy (Belgium)

This workshop will look in detail at how a local strategy in the field of poverty reduction can be coordinated by the local authority reflecting the need to invest in people and communities. The City of Ghent will explain how this needs to be shaped through a ‘bottom-up’ approach by creating an intensive diversified process of participation of all stakeholders which contributes to a more efficient use of (limited) available resources for combating poverty. The workshop will ask the question: how is it possible to create a collective vision and well executed plan of action in which all actors agree to reorientate their actions on finances to work on the same targets? The workshop will present its first evaluation of progress made.

Read more about the wide range of workshops at the 22nd European Social Services Conference (in English, français, español, italiano, deutsch).