Policy Statements & EU Policy Responses

2010 EU2020: Building a more caring and inclusive Europe
This policy paper is a contribution to the debate on the future of the EU’s work on social protection and inclusion in the framework of the EU2020 Strategy.

2009 Green Paper on the European Workforce for Health
This is ESN’s response to the European Commission consultation on the health workforce. It emphasizes that many of the challenges and opportunities on this issue are similar in the area of social services.

2008 Europe’s Social Reality and Social Vision
This is ESN’s response to the European Commission consultation and presents current social and economic trends and challenges in Europe from the perspective of local public social services.

2008 Active Inclusion
This is a response to the European Commission consultation on its active inclusion policy concept, designed to support the development of better policies to integrate people furthest from the labour market.

2007 People not Patients: Long-term Care in an Ageing Europe
This is a statement about the values and role of social services in long-term care for older people. It also provides ESN’s standpoint on European cooperation in the area of long-term care.

2007 Child Poverty and Welfare in Europe
This is a statement on the values and role of social services in protecting children and combating child poverty. It also provides ESN’s standpoint on European cooperation in the area of child poverty.

2006 Social and Employment Activation
These are ESN’s key recommendations for managing coordinated services for social and labour market activation of vulnerable people.

2006 Antidiscrimination and Integration
This is a set of practice-based recommendations on striving for equality in social services as employers, service providers and community partners and supporting the integration of minority groups.

2005 Access to Quality Services
This is a set of practice-based recommendations about promoting better access to social services and improving the quality of services through user participation.

Reports

2010 Breaking the cycle of deprivation
This report presents the view of ESN working group on social work with children and families across Europe. It is part of a series which reflect the work of ESN policy & practice working groups.

2010 Annual Review 2009
This report shows ESN work and activities with its members in 2009. It shows how ESN supports members in addressing challenges in managing social services at the local level through mutual learning.

2009 Members' Review 2008
This report shows ESN work and activities with its members in 2008. It shows how ESN supports members in addressing challenges in managing social services at the local level through mutual learning. Translated in FR-ES-CZ-PL-DE-IT.

2009 Review of National Reports 2008-10
This report is a review  of the National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2008-10 by ESN members accross Europe.

2008 Realising Potential/ Réaliser son potentiel
This report presents the view of ESN members about managing active inclusion services at local level across Europe. It is part of a series which reflect the work of ESN policy & practice working groups.

2007 Care across the Generations/ Des soins à travers les générations
This report analyses national policy development in the area of child poverty and long-term care as presented in the National Reports on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2006-08.

2006 Social Services and Social Inclusion/ Services Sociaux et Inclusion Sociale
This report presents ESN’s thematic work in the area of social inclusion particularly looking at issues of access, quality, equality and activation. It also reviews national policy development in social inclusion through the National Action Plans on Social Inclusion 2006-08.

2005 Promoting Inclusion for Unaccompanied Minor Asylum-Seeking Children and Immigrants
A Duty of Justice and Care. Emerging from an ESN project, this is a call for the reception and care of migrant children and unaccompanied children seeking asylum based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

2003 Managing Diversity in Public Health and Social Care in the Interest of all Citizens
Report 1: Race and Ethnicity / Report 2: Disability / Report 3: Age
These three reports were prepared as part of a two-year transnational project designed to help public sector managers in health and social care, as employers and providers, to combat discrimination and promote equality.

2001 Civil Dialogue in the Nordic Countries/Ziviler Dialog in den Nordischen Staaten/ Dialogue civil dans les pays nordiquess
This report explores partnerships between local authorities and the community in Nordic countries in combating social exclusion and discrimination.

2000 Mind the Gap
This report promotes stronger co-operation between the public and private social sectors at a local, national and a European level.

Policy & Practice Papers

2010 Managing social services in times of crisis
This working paper assesses the impact of the financial and economic crisis on local public social services and reflects discussions with Members about managing services in a difficult economic climate.

2008 Building Capacity, Improving Quality: Social Services in Transition in CEE
This working paper explores the transition of social services in Central and Eastern Europe from in the post-Communist period and addresses the challenges of decentralisation, deinstitutionalisation and quality development.

2006 Social and Employment Activation
This paper reviews contemporary policy trends and case studies on cooperation between different services (benefits, employment, social work) to help marginalised people towards the labour market.

2005 Access to Quality Services / Accès à des services sociaux de qualité
This paper presents a contemporary understanding of the meaning of access and quality in the sector and explores current practice particularly through user participation.

2005 Basic Social Services in Rural Settlements, Village and Remote Homestead Community Care-giving in Hungary
This is a synthesis report from an EU peer review about social work services by community care-takers in remote rural villages in Hungary.

Peer Reviews on Social Protection and Social Inclusion

ESN’s contributions to peer reviews on a number of national social protection and inclusion policies through the EU peer review programme can be downloaded with all peer review documents at:

2010: Federal Foundation Mother and Child (Germany)
2009 City Strategy for tackling unemployment and child poverty (UK)
2009 Combining choice, quality and equity in social services (Denmark)
2007: ACCESS Cottonera Community Resource Centre (Malta)
2006: Financial coordination within the field of rehabilitation (Sweden)