Contemporary issues in the public management of social services in Europe
The European Social Network (ESN) publishes its third paper in the series on contemporary issues for managers and directors of social services in Europe. ‘Working with education, health and employment: recognising a shared agenda’ looks at the cooperation within and between public services. Social services cooperate with other public services, such as health, education, employment, justice, housing, as well as with civil society and the for-profit sector. This intersectoral cooperation produces positive outcomes for service users and carers, the organisations involved and for public budgets, as it enables services to provide a comprehensive person-centred approach and to respond more quickly and effectively to complex needs.
ESN members involved in the working group on Leadership, Performance and Innovation discussed the challenges and opportunities of working in cooperation with other public services, sharing examples from their municipalities, regions or countries. Whilst approaches to intersectoral cooperation were varied and complex, depending on the national system of public services and national policies, the different services involved and the aim and form of the cooperation, there is significant evidence that collaboration across sectors can lead to positive outcomes.
For instance, in Randers, Denmark, the social and education directors of the municipality meet regularly to address problems and deal with difficult cases; cooperation within social work, education and police has been operating successfully for the past 20 years. In the United Kingdom, the London Borough of Redbridge set up multidisciplinary teams led by a General Practitioner, including the most senior social workers, nurses, an administrative worker and the voluntary sector; together they provide integrated case management to 500 people with predictable long-term conditions, helping them to stay longer at home and reduce hospital admissions. In Germany, jobcentres provide employment support and deliver unemployment benefits, and some programmes for long-term unemployed help to provide access to childcare, psycho-social counselling, debt advice, drug rehabilitation and assistance with housing.
Nevertheless, the outcomes of intersectoral cooperation are often difficult to assess, as it often involves different stakeholders with different objectives. In addition to the need for a common aim, there are other aspects which need to be considered before embarking on an intersectoral cooperation strategy: the understanding of different professional work attitudes across sectors, the need for good management and the involvement of service users. Moreover, local cooperation depends to a large extent on national legislation and support, as ESN members emphasised in the ‘Working with education, health and employment: recognising a shared agenda’ paper.
If you wish to contribute your experiences and thoughts on the topic, please join our discussion on LinkedIn on effective and efficient service cooperation or contact Lisa Schönenberg.
The report series ‘Contemporary issues in the public management of social services in Europe’ is based on the work of ESN’s working group on Leadership, Performance and Innovation and outlines four key challenges for directors of social services and senior professionals across Europe: Responding to the economic crisis and austerity; Innovation, research & evidence-based practice; Working with education, health and employment: recognising a shared agenda; Leadership & management in social services.