ESN's Spring Seminar 

ESN’s Spring Seminar 2011 was a major opportunity to share innovation in social services faced with rising demand and shrinking resources. It brought together some 120 senior managers, professionals and researches, half from Hungary and half, mainly ESN Members, from the rest of Europe. Presentations and resources from the meeting are given below.

1. Opening session: challenging times – a financial and social crisis?

Towards a National Social Policy Concept
Imre Nyitrai / Deputy State Secretary of Social Affairs, Family and Youth / Hungary

Anti-crisis policies in cities and regions: two years on
Krzysztof Nowaczek / EU Committee of the Regions.

From financial crisis to social crisis? The impact on well-being in Europe
Nicolas Scharioth / Gallup Organisation Europe

2. Organisational change and resource management

Early national and local responses to the crisis in Iceland
Stella K. Vidisdóttir / City of Reykjavík, Iceland

Improving synergies and increasing productivity in active inclusion
Matthias Schulze-Böing City of Offenbach-am-Main / Germany

Personalisation and cost-saving in mental health and learning disability
Cate K. Kristiansen / Municipality of Horsens / Denmark

Promoting social innovation and quality through local stakeholder networks
Teresa Tena and Amelia Petit / Castellón County Council, Spain

3. Investment in social services and social inclusion: making the case

Public-private innovation partnerships: promoting welfare technology in the Nordic countries
Steven Højlund / COWI Group / Denmark

Team manager development programme: delivering results, managing resources in the field
Ellis Williams / Team Management Development Programme / Wales, UK

The socio-economic benefits of mental health promotion
Eija Stengård / WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health Promotion