Challenges and opportunities for social services in Europe

Challenges and opportunities for social services in Europe: promoting care and inclusion in a difficult economic environment, Barcelona, 21-23 June 2010

This European Social Network conference, held in partnership with the Spanish Presidency of the European Union, opens a crucial and timely debate about the future of social services in Europe.

Objectives

It looks at current trends, challenges and opportunities for local directors and managers in areas such as public finance, the use of ICT, new forms of service partnership, skills development, user and carer participation, and self-management of care.

It provides a unique opportunity to understand what is happening in social work and care across Europe at a time of financial turbulence and to share experiences and expertise for developing effective people-centred strategies in and beyond the recession.

Eurofound workshop

During the conference, Eurofound will run a workshop on 'Measures in companies and community services to support informal carers' (Session 2, Tuesday 22 June) which is the focus of a current research project. The workshop examines examples of good practice to support working carers, considering both local initiatives in companies/workplaces as well as the contribution of community services. It presents research in a Europe-wide perspective, concentrating on interesting developments in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Ireland.