PROGRAMME

With public budgets shrinking even as demand for social services rises, the question of how social services are financed is increasingly pressing. In this context, whether, how, and to what extent private providers and civil society organisations join for a mixed economy of care is a critical question. Under this sub-theme, the ESSC in Hamburg will tackle questions around the sustainability and management of social services now and in the future, covering challenges and new approaches amongst others in the financing of social services, their financial planning and budgeting, and contracting and procurement.

Under the fiscal constraints of austerity, as well as the ideas of new public management and evidence-based policy-making, social services have been discussed and reformed with efficiency and cost-effectiveness in mind. However, this sometimes obscures the more fundamental question: what are the principles which underpin social and care work? Beyond how social services are being delivered, the question is also how should we deliver social services? In the third pillar, ESSC’s participants will consider key values of social inclusion and community care, from the ethics of care through ethical ideas behind community care to practical questions of professional ethics.

Technology and data offer huge opportunities to raise quality. Technology has the potential for application at every stage of the care and support system, from planning through delivery to evaluation. Technology may be used to facilitate various forms of services, including counselling, individual support, and case management. Technology may also be used to facilitate communication with clients, obtain information from clients, or provide information to clients. The collection, analysis and use of data maximise the effectiveness of interventions. However, there are also a series of considerations raised regarding the use of personal data in technology, particularly when it comes to sharing data between services and compliance with recent data legislation.