Missing data on social services is a recurring challenge for the European Commission’s annual EU Semester analysis of the social and economic situation in EU Member States. The European Social Services Index (SSI) launched by the European Social Network (ESN) in 2023, addresses this data gap. Together with our members, we have collected evidence on social services legislation, expenditure and coverage in 13 EU Member States.
The findings of this analysis were presented at a recent meeting in Brussels. Recommendations put forward included enhancing the transition to community-based long-term care in Poland, improving availability of foster parents in Latvia, increasing accommodation in women support centres in Ireland, and setting up a national legislative framework for access to social services in Greece.
Measuring access to social services
To paint a picture of the state and accessibility of national social services in the EU, the Index looks at key indicators in the areas of social services legislation, expenditure and coverage. On the legal side, we analyse whether the right to access social services is recognised in national legislation, and whether there is a national social services strategy and catalogue. Without adequate financing, social services legislation cannot be delivered effectively and in an accessible manner for all. Therefore, the Index also investigates and compares national spending for social services and assesses if strategies are backed up by dedicated budgets for implementation.
The coverage of services is measured across a sample of critical areas of provision, such as long-term care, child protection and services for victims of domestic violence. For each of the 13 countries involved, ESN designed an online factsheet, highlighting the key data.
Expanding long-term care provision
Coverage of long-term care is a key indicator for an accessible social services system. While comparing access to long-term care services we found, for instance, that in Poland 80 % of long-term care is still provided within the family despite national efforts to build a long-term care (LTC) system. Pawel Rabiej, director of social research and analysis at Korczak University in Warsaw said an expansion of provision was necessary. He explained: “Poland needs to expand the offer of all long-term care services including home care, residential, tele and day care in collaboration with service providers.”
By contrast, in other countries including Denmark, Sweden and Finland, community-based services are already well established but a lack of workforce makes it challenging to maintain the level of coverage.
Promoting community-based child protection
When it comes to the availability and coverage of family-based alternative care, Latvia has one of the highest rates of service provision. Martins Moors, director of social services in Riga, Latvia, who presented national findings, nevertheless warned that this encouraging result is under threat. “As many current foster parents are reaching retirement age, we request the national government to recruit new foster parents and increase the offer of family-like care services,” he explained.
Other participants, such as those from Romania and Greece, reported an increase in the number of foster parents. However, this was coming from a very low starting point. In Greece for instance, 45% of children in alternative care are still living in residential facilities.
Providing sufficient access to women’s support centres
A key indicator of social services coverage is the availability of places in shelters for victims of domestic violence. The Istanbul Convention recommends at least one place per 10,000 inhabitants. While most countries covered by the SSI meet this standard, there are some exceptions. Patricia Sweeney, a social work consultant from Ireland, highlighted the need to invest more in building a support infrastructure to meet women’s needs: “to meet minimum standards in terms of coverage, Ireland needs to increase the number of places currently available by four.” Ms Sweeney said the current situation means many women “must be turned away from centres, leaving them in unsafe environments.”
Using data for improved access to services
Having listened to the SSI findings, European Commission highlighted the Index was key to advance social services in Europe: “the Social Services Index is a very rich source of data for the Commission’s analysis of national social policies, I will encourage colleagues to read the results of your research”, Katia Berti, Head of the European Commission’s Unit for employment and social aspects of the European Semester, said. ESN’s chief executive Alfonso Lara Montero concluded: “The SSI data are key to identify gaps in terms of social services legislation, funding and coverage. Our index helps national governments to identify key areas of action for social reforms and investment. We will be happy to work with the European Commission and EU Member States to drive policy change for enhanced access to social services across Europe.”
