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Webinar on Social services opportunities, needs and challenges in accessing EU funds
Introduction
As a result of the growing need for care and support; demand for quality social services is constantly increasing. Despite their crucial role, social services in the EU are facing important challenges, such as chronic underfunding, staff shortages and challenges in transitioning to community-based and person-centred forms of services.
EU funds can create key opportunities to overcome these obstacles. However, social services struggle to access these funds; while managing authorities face difficulties in using EU funds to finance high quality social inclusion projects.
In its aim to address and solve these issues by offering concrete solutions to both social service providers and authorities, the Helpdesk project needed to objectify and analyse the opportunities, needs and challenges in both accessing and delivering EU funds, particularly ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) and ERDF (the European Regional Development Fund), to finance quality interventions in the field of social services.
During the last quarter of 2022, the Helpdesk gathered evidence around the use of ESF+ and ERDF in social services and managing authorities/intermediate bodies, identifying promising practices, needs and challenges. This was done by collecting existing data, organising fora in 10 countries and disseminating a survey towards social services, managing authorities and intermediate bodies, throughout the EU.
By presenting the main findings of this evidence gathering work, this event will provide a unique opportunity for these national actors but also the European Commission and other European stakeholders, to better understand, assess and react on the opportunities, the needs and challenges faced by social services in accessing EU funds.
Agenda
| 10h-10h05 | Introduction of event & presentation of the Helpdesk project | Mathieu de Poorter (CEDAG) Fabiana Scarano (EASPD) |
| 10h05-10h30 | Lessons learned from the analysis of the EU Helpdesk survey | Mathieu de Poorter (CEDAG), Margot Renard (UNIPSO) |
| 10h30-10h45 | Main qualitative findings from 10 national evidence gathering fora | Eleni Kefallinou (European Social Network) & Vesa Latifi (European Social Network) |
| 10h45-11h | Questions & Answers | Vit Jasek (EAN) |
| 11h-11h40 | National and European perspectives: reactions and recommendations | National Social Provider representative – Lourdes Márquez de la Calleja (F.ONCE) National Managing Authority representative – Jonna Källström Böresson (Swedish ESF Council) European Commission – Marianne Doyen (Policy officer ESF+) Facilitation by Mathieu de Poorter (CEDAG) |
| 11h40-11h50 | Questions & Answers with the panel | Mathieu de Poorter (CEDAG) |
| 11h50-12h | Conclusions & Next steps | Laura Jones (EPR) |
Interpretation
Main language in English, with possible interpretation
Materials of the webinar for consultation
WP2 – Evidence gathering activities and findings
Main qualitative findings from 10 National Evidence Gathering Fora
Key highlights from the event
Key highlights from the event - Italian subtitles
Key highlights from the event - Spanish subtitles
Key highlights from the event - Czech subtitles
HELPDESK Support
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
HELPDESK Support