We are now presenting our latest report: Integrated Social Services in Europe, which is the outcome of a research project managed by the European Social Network (ESN) and carried out in collaboration with Vilans, the Centre of Expertise for Long-term Care in the Netherlands.
The objective of the report is to analyse how social services provide integrated support with other public services, namely education, employment and health, across Europe. The report consists of an overview of recent welfare developments, a summary of legislation and policy frameworks across European countries, a literature review of 60 international articles on service integration, and an assessment of 44 practice examples from 17 European countries. Finally, based on the input gathered at the integrated services seminar organised by the European Social Network in November 2015, the report also includes recommendations for policy-makers, practitioners and researchers.
The report argues that integrated services is certainly about making organisational, governance, budgetary, structural or cultural changes but most importantly it is about the individual, whose needs are placed squarely at the centre of their support. There is a need to invest in the organisations’ learning environment, joint training and skills development but also in the human side of professionals’ relationships, such as trust-building, common understanding and assessment.
You may access our latest publication ‘Integrated Social Services in Europe’ here.
You may access the resources for our seminar on integrated services here.
Best regards, |