Cities and active inclusion: quality of social services and the social economy
The latest report by EUROCITIES is called ‘Cities and active inclusion: quality of social services and the social economy’. The report provides an analytical overview of trends, challenges and innovative practices on active inclusion at local level in 10 cities throughout the European Union. It is based on 10 research reports produced by 10 cities. 5 cities looked at the issue of providing quality social services (Barcelona, Birmingham, Brno, Copenhagen, and Sofia), and 5 cities focused on the role of the social economy in supporting active inclusion (Bologna, Krakow, Lille Métropole-Roubaix, Rotterdam and Stockholm).
Cities reported a number of challenges in delivering quality social services:
- budget cuts and financial constraints;
- legislation on ensuring quality standards that is not always adequate to measure the real quality of social services;
- ensuring that social services employees fully understand quality criteria and indicators; and
- recruiting and retaining a quality workforce in social services.
Cities reported a number of challenges in supporting the social
economy:
- dealing with budget cuts in public administration;
- improving the financial sustainability of social economy organisations;
- dealing with public procurement rules; and
- raising awareness on the added value of social economy.
Citizens with multiple disadvantages and citizens at risk of social exclusion
Cities are dealing with citizens who have multiple disadvantages (homeless, people with disabilities, low skilled, migrants), as well as with new groups of people becoming increasingly at risk of social exclusion (ethnic minorities, elderly, single parents). Cities’ trends that have been observed in delivering social services are improving coordination, decentralisation, personalisation of services, outsourcing to social economy associations and taking a preventative approach. The social economy is supported through financial means as well as legislative measures which make it possible for these associations to win public tenders for delivering social services. Ensuring the delivery of quality social services and supporting the social economy pose challenges for cities. Budget cuts in public administrations, coupled with an increasing number of people in need of active inclusion are stretching cities’ capacity to deliver quality social services and to support the social economy.
Social economy in cities is in need of highly qualified staff
Other challenges identified by cities are the sustainability of
social economy initiatives, too rigid and formal national
legislation on quality for social services, the complex rules on
public procurement as well as the recruiting and retaining of
highly qualified staff in the social sector. However, cities have
also put in place and are planning several solutions to deal with
the challenges of ensuring quality social services, such as
creating quality standards that better reflect the users’ needs,
training employees in understanding quality issues, and improving
working conditions of social workers. For the social economy,
cities are helping to increase the business skills of people
working in this sector, to raise awareness on the added value of
social economy and to introduce social clauses in public
procurement regulations for awarding tenders for delivering social
services.