April 2022
Editorial
We are not Silicon Valley, but technology is making a difference in social services
Last month, I spoke at a session on technology in social services at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress, where I learnt about Ari, a robot developed by Barcelona’s social services that supports older people in their own homes to address unwanted loneliness. Read more.
Spotlight
ESN launches our 2021 Annual Review
The European Social Network (ESN)’s Annual Review highlights our activities in 2021 which were mainly focused on recovery from Covid-19, with the concept of resilience becoming increasingly central to our work and that of our members. Read more.
Latest from ESN
Social services humanitarian response in support of Ukrainian refugees
Over 2.5 million refugees have crossed the Polish border and over 14.000 children from Ukraine are already enrolled in schools in the region of Silesia in Poland. In Czechia, there are currently over 300.000 refugees, of whom 80% of the adults are women and 50% are children.
Read more.
Integrating minimum income programmes to promote social inclusion
The European Social Network (ESN) has responded to the European Commission’s call for evidence on minimum income programmes. ESN argues that minimum income programmes should provide an appropriate floor and be accompanied by a social inclusion plan which is both cross-cutting and integrated, not only including access to the labour market but also social services.Read more.
An EU care strategy close to people
The European Social Network (ESN) welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to develop a European Care Strategy, which will hopefully respond to the challenges of ageing and rising care needs. Ensuring people’s access to quality and affordable care throughout their lives should be the common aim of the strategy, which will require a coordinated and joint effort between public authorities at all levels and non-public providers. Read more.
The European Social Services Conference 2022
Five reasons to attend the 30th European Social Services Conference
500 delegates have already registered for the 30th European Social Services Conference. With only a few places remaining, don’t miss your opportunity to take part. Here are 5 reasons why you should attend.
European Social Services Awards
Celebrating innovation and excellence in social services
In a ceremony in Brussels on 1 April, the winners of the 2021 European Social Services Awards (ESSA) have now been announced. From amongst many strong applications, six winners from across Europe were selected by an independent expert panel as well as public vote as those that most effectively built resilience in social services. Read more.
Meet our Members
Using a ‘traffic light’ risk assessment tool to improve efficiency, quality, and safety of service provision
Tal Lento is a Research Associate in the Quality Assurance Team of The Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Israel’s leading centre for applied social research and consulting. She told us about the risk management tool which Myers-JDC Brookdale Institute has developed in partnership with the Inspection Administration of the Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, to allow inspectors and service providers to carry out their work using a risk management approach.Read more.
The Swiss Conference for Social Welfare: Supporting further education to tackle the precarities of a shifting labour market
The Swiss Conference for Social Welfare (SKOS) is the national professional association for social aid and welfare and is responsible in Switzerland for issuing guidelines, frameworks, and position papers and monitoring social services, amongst other things. As there is no federal legislation on social welfare, the recommendations of SKOS have an important role for the 26 Swiss cantons.
Read more.
European News
The EU Child Guarantee slowly starts to become a reality
With two major policy initiatives, the new comprehensive EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee, the European Commission has placed the protection of the children and the fulfilment of their rights at the centre of EU policy making in the social sphere. Read more.
The European Social Network receives financial support from the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation 'EaSI' (2022-2025)
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