EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Implementation of the Social Network in Cascais

Implementation of the Social Network in Cascais - Portugal -

Introduction

The creation of the Cascais Social Network aims to articulate and assemble the efforts of local partners active on the ground with a view to fomenting local social development through joint strategic intervention in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.

Problem

The creation of the Social Network aims to put into practice and contextualise the concept of effective partnership based on strategic objectives common to the localities in the district. To this end four strategic guidelines were identified to orientate this process:

Local development (investment in the proximity and intervention capacity of those who deal with the problems directly);
Appeal for participation by all (commitment to the assumption that local development is a task for all);
The Social Network as a vehicle to influence national policies (concept of development based on a bottom up rather top down perspective);
Adoption of a new way of looking at social intervention, implying change in the organisational culture of the institutions.

Description

The attached document corresponds to the “Social Development Plan” for the Cascais District. It describes the implementation process of the Cascais Social Network and the strategic approaches for a combined intervention in the district defined by the group of partnerships which constitutes the Cascais Social Network.

Special mention goes to the following items:

Chronology of the Social Network in Cascais
Description of the participative process
Characterisation of the Cascais district
Identification of the problems and objectives by parish
Strategic approaches for combined intervention
Action Plan
Evaluation.

Approach

The Cascais Social Network functions by means of articulation between various platforms which incorporate the institutions that represent the district.

The Conselho Local de Acção Social (Local Council for Social Action) (CLAS) was created at a municipal level and each of the parishes created a Comissão Social de Freguesia (Parish Social Committee) (CSF) (6).
Each of these bodies, CLAS and the 6 CSF´s, has an executive team with more operational characteristics.

In parallel, there are also thematic work groups which work across all these bodies and broach specific problem areas (eg. The elderly, disabled, health, etc…)

Results

Production of a operational and organisational model: Creation of the “Conselho Local de Acção Social de Cascais” (Cascais Local Council for Social Action) (CLAS) and the “Comissões Sociais de Freguesia” (Parish Social Committees) (CSF´s – six in all);
Elaboration of combined Social Diagnoses;
Elaboration of the Social Development Plan (a planning and management instrument which defines the priorities for social intervention in the district – see attached document);
Creation of a evaluation and monitoring system (under construction);
Creation of a local information and communication system (under construction).

Beneficiaries

Local social agents, Citizens of the municipality of Cascais.

Resources used

Human Resources:

The Social Network is composed of approx. 100 entities.
At the municipal level there is an executive committee composed of 7 people who, although they do not work exclusively for this project, guarantee the activity of the Social Network.

Financial Resources:

Financial resources came from an application to the ESF (60,000 €) which ended in October 2004.
Logistical and secretarial support is provided by the Câmara Municipal de Cascais (Cascais Municipal Council)
Location District of Cascais (97 km2)

(Cascais belongs to the Greater Lisbon metropolitan area – Portugal)

Contact info

Rede Social do Concelho de Cascais
Redesocial@cm-cascais.pt
Mrs. Isabel Pinto Gonçalves (Member of the CLAS Executive Committee), tel. +351 21 4825000

Project start date

31/01/2001

Links

Visit the Câmara Municipal de Cascais website

Document type

case

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Keywords

Citizens' participation