The achievements of social services in this exceptional year are evidence of the extraordinary commitment of those in the sector to improving the quality of life of disadvantaged people. Do you want to see your great effort rewarded? If so, apply for the European Social Services Awards and get your project recognised at European level.
Discover more about the Awards
Social services are vital to making a difference for the most vulnerable in our communities. This is especially the case in these difficult times, where continuity of care has been endangered significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic. To mark the effort, commitment and outstanding achievements of social services in the past months, the European Social Network (ESN) has launched the third edition of the European Social Services Awards (ESSA). The Awards highlight the importance of celebrating excellence and quality in social services, acknowledging that improving social services and social care quality is fundamental to improving people's lives.
Your contribution to building more resilient communities
Under the theme ‘Building Resilience in Social Services’, this year's Awards will focus on efforts to foster more resilient services and communities. We will explore together how social services have responded to the Covid-19 crisis to ensure the continuity, coverage and quality of care for vulnerable populations across Europe. The Awards will seek to honour the development of new innovative practice during the pandemic, creative solutions to provide care, the collaboration with other sectors to respond to the crisis, as well as the adoption of new technology tools and research that boosted knowledge of the impact of Covid-19 on social services.
You can submit your project under five different categories:
Evaluating your projects
The Awards will be community-driven, with a panel of high-level experts from the social service community across Europe evaluating entries and selecting a shortlist. The ESSA judges are chosen based on their strong experience in social service management, planning, funding, provision and research. The panel composition also aims to reflect the diversity of the ESN community by achieving a balance of countries, areas of social service, sectors and levels of government and delivery.
The ESSA finalists will then be put to online voting, which counted more than 25.000 people voting for the Awards over the past editions.
Get involved and let us reward you
“At a time of unprecedented challenges for Europe’s social services, these Awards are a fantastic chance to celebrate the dogged determination, the innovation and the outstanding care for others that represents the very best of the sector”
Jane Dudman, Public Leadership Editor, The Guardian
2020 European Social Services Awards Ceremony
Don’t miss out on a special opportunity to showcase outstanding projects that improve people’s lives and to acknowledge the great value of social services in our societies. You have time until 30 July to submit your project. Share with us how you contribute to support vulnerable people and get informed on the planning for future phases of the pandemic, or other potential crises.
We look forward to hearing from you!