Governments across Europe struggle to ensure people’s equal economic participation and social inclusion. Numerous factors including population density, geographic barriers such as living in rural or economically disadvantaged areas, can restrict access to social services. In order to help steer discussions among EU Member States on how to address the issue of access, the Hungarian EU Council's presidency invited the European Social Network (ESN) to share insights on social planning – a key tool for improving access in a way that can enhance people’s social inclusion.
The steering note for the meeting stated that territorial planning tools are increasingly emphasised in the EU’s approach to territorial development, but existing practices and their effective implementation in Member States, remain unexploited. At the latest Social Protection Committee Meeting organised by the Hungarian Council Presidency on 17 September in Bucharest, ESN had the opportunity to share some inspiring examples with key elements for social planning.
Defining social planning
Although there is no unique definition of social planning, common features include mapping the population's needs through data collection and aggregation and using tools for assessing the data. It also entails monitoring and evaluating local needs as well as involving local stakeholders.
Collecting data for informed planning
According to a study presented at the Hungarian Council Presidency event strengthening access to enabling services– embedded in the development strategy tailored to the needs of specific territories – greatly contributes to enhancing the potential of disadvantaged areas in terms of population retention and social cohesion, closing the gap with other areas. In this context, ESN stressed that systematic collection, analysis and availability of accurate data is fundamental to social planning. Alfonso Lara Montero, CEO of ESN said that: “Good quality data can support local policy-makers and social services managers in their decisions for attributing resources to certain areas or creating specialised social programmes. They can make a difference for the people in areas with the highest needs.”
For example, it can provide evidence for where funding should be targeted or help identify areas that need special support programmes.
For example, the Neighbourhoods with Future programme in Barcelona identified 20 areas with high social needs based on indicators such as average income per person, level of education and the local employment rate. Using data for the areas identified helps, target them with support programmes to address the most important needs of the neighbourhood.
Equipping local services with adequate planning tools
The event of the Hungarian Presidency emphasized the transformational role of digitalised social services for improved social service delivery. ESN highlighted that the digitalisation of data and improved access to data though digital channels can improve local planning and decision making. For example, Pinneberg County Council in Germany introduced the PI Focus App for informed local decision-making in which county representatives can retrieve data on the socio-economic makeup of each neighbourhood and steer public investments towards the most disadvantaged areas. This shows that order to ensure successful planning, local social services departments require adequate planning tools. These tools allow them to collect data, assess needs, design and implement services, and evaluate their work across different target groups. EU and national programmes should support access to digital planning and data collection tools for local decision makers.
Involving local stakeholders
Engaging and involving service users, their families and local communities in decisions about services at the strategic level is equally vitally important in the context of social planning. Due to their proximity to local communities, local authorities are well positioned to involve people in the planning and design of social services. “Involving those who are supposed to profit from local support programmes, makes social planning much more effective” recommended ESN CEO Alfonso Lara Montero in his presentation. A good example for such involvement is the Neighbourhoods and Priority Intervention Areas of Lisbon Programme in Portugal. The programme , finances codesigned local interventions carried out by parish councils, local associations, collectivises and non-governmental organisations in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The approach is based on social planning indicators that reveal which areas need the most support.
Local authorities leading social planning
The event of the Hungarian Council Presidency showcased that strengthening access to enabling services – embedded in the development strategy tailored to the needs of specific territories – greatly contributes to enhancing the potential of disadvantaged areas in terms of population retention and social cohesion. While agreeing to this CEO Alfonso Lara Montero emphasised in his conclusions that future council conclusions on territorial development should emphasize the key role of local authorities for social planning. “Local authorities best placed to identify gaps in service provision and make decisions for targeted social investment in areas falling behind. National governments should ensure that local-level decision-makers have the means to adopt local social planning to address the needs of the most vulnerable. They are the lynchpin for leading and coordinating the social planning process.”
