Blog Articles

The European Commission’s statement that “social investment is a prerequisite for a successful and lasting recovery” in its Communication on the main findings and results of the country reports was a very welcome read.

This is exactly what Social Platform has been advocating since the launch of the Commission’s Social Investment Package in 2013. Last year in particular, we worked with our members to promote investment in social, health, housing, employment and education services.

We developed a myth buster to debunk recurring arguments and common beliefs that hinder the development of high quality services and social infrastructure. It is important to promote a better understanding that promoting quality investment in these services is good for people, social inclusion and cohesion, the economy, public finances and more effective public policies.

When we hear the word “investment”, our minds immediately go to money. However, investing in services is not only about the amount of resources that are needed, it is also about the approach taken in their design and delivery. In our view, services should be people-centred and tailored to meet each individual’s needs. They should promote users’ human rights and aim to empower people and make them more independent. In addition to addressing present needs with immediate effect – such as improving people’s skills, health conditions and employability – investment in services can prevent or reduce future needs that would give rise to additional costs and reliance on services, including emergency health care, unemployment benefits, correctional facilities and income support. This approach is known as “social investment”.

To illustrate what social investment means in practice, we have compiled 14 case studies from 12 EU Member States. These case studies are based on the experience of many Social Platform members, their national members and partners on the ground, and we would like to thank them all very much for their hard work.

Our case studies cover a wide range of services: integrated social and health care; child protection and youth programmes; inclusion of migrants and refugees; people’s employability trough the social economy and social enterprises; social inclusion programmes; housing; and independent living.

Each case study has its own characteristics, because it is meant to respond to the specific social and health needs of a particular group of people living in a socio-economic and political context. The examples also reflect the cultural traditions of a country or region.

One thing the case studies have in common is that they all use personalised approaches to ensure that the service meets the need of each individual. They also focus on the active participation and empowerment of users, who are often involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of each service. It is often the case that the local community is also involved, and partnerships between different actors are put in place to ensure that each programme is a success.

In fact, by focusing services on the empowerment of users, families and communities alike, it is possible to make services more innovative and effective in meeting users’ needs. Some of the examples gathered also show how civil society has been successful in initiating a paradigm shift in policies. For example, Hope and Homes for Children achieved a reform of the child protection system in Romania based on de-institutionalisation and service provision to prevent children being separated from their families. Starting with the collection of unsold food in local markets, FA BENE demonstrates the added value of community engagement in facing poverty and a lack of social cohesion in local communities in Italy. With the help of Health Mediators belonging to Roma communities, the Healthy Communities project in Slovakia and the Health Mediation programme in Bulgaria provide a systemic solution to the alarming state of health and social conditions of disadvantaged groups in those countries.

It is very good that the European Commission acknowledges and reminds us of the importance of promoting social investment, including through the use of the European Structural and Investment Funds and the European Fund for Strategic Investments. It is up to European civil society organisations to help their members put in place these approaches at local level – indeed, this is one of the reasons why the Commission is funding us. But it is most and foremost up to Member States to implement a policy shift towards more effective social investment, and we hope that Social Platform and our members can contribute to that.