Study on social services with a particular focus on personal targeted social services for people in vulnerable situations
A consortium led by Panteia and containing VVA, Oxford Research, IKEI and Erudio has finalised a ‘Study on social services with a particular focus on personal targeted social services for people in vulnerable situations’ for the European Commission Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion (EMPL). The study describes the social services sector within the broader context of services of general interest and also takes stock of the evolution of the social services sector, including its different roles, users groups and providers, and provides a categorisation of the various types of services offered. The study focussed on personal targeted social services, looking at their specific role/s towards the achievement of a positive social impact for the people in vulnerable situations. Additionally, the study provides recommendations to increase the contribution of social services to the implementation of the Pillar of Social Rights.
The project utilised national experts (coordinated by Panteia) in all 27 EU Member States (with the consortium covering 12 of the Member States), and in addition to members of the European Network for Social and Economic research (ENSR), in addition to some independent experts in the field.
This study is aimed at policy makers and stakeholders operating in the field of social services, and provides a broad overview of the situation and approaches taken across the EU in the Member States. In particular, policy makers in the Member States can gain greater understanding of how social services are organised and defined across the EU, and use the recommendations in order to enable a clearer focus on services relevant for the most vulnerable in society in terms of mutual learning, assessment and quality monitoring.
