• Our work

    Eurodiaconia links diaconal actors to examine social needs, develop ideas and influence policies impacting Poverty and Social Exclusion, Social and Health Care Services and the Future of Social Europe.

    Eurodiaconia also provides a platform for transnational networking and best practice sharing.  

     

  • Our vision

    As the leading network for diaconal work in Europe, we look to develop dialogue and partnership between members and influence and engage with the wider society.  We do this to enable inclusion, care and empowerment of the most vulnerable and excluded and ensure dignity for all.

     

  • Our goals

    We aim to see a positive social change in Europe through:

    Praxis, enabling membership engagement and partnerships

    Advocacy, creating a network of competence to impact policies at European and national level

    Identity and values, supporting the development of approaches and thinking on Diaconia in Europe today

     

Calendar Monday, May 21, 2012
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Social services

Eurodiaconia works on many areas related to the provision of social services. Social Services of General interest (SSGI) is the term used to describe social services that are seen to be of importance to the general population. The European Commission has described them as including services provided directly to the person that play a preventive and socially cohesive role, such as social assistance services, employment and training services, social housing, child care or long-term care services.

Eurodiaconia focuses on working to ensure that not-for-profit social and health care providers operate in a supportive environment, where their importance is recognised.

Eurodiaconia monitors the impacts of EU legislation and how it is implemented on the provision of social services in Europe, in particular the impact of EU State Aid and Public Procurement rules, which regulate how contracting authorities can finance social services.

Eurodiaconia members strive to provide quality services and Eurodiaconia has been actively engaged in the EU debate on the quality of social services since 2005. Eurodiaconia has contributed to EU initiatives on quality and has developed its own document on quality.

Eurodiaconia and its members decided to develop one particular elementof these principles, namely service user participation and empowerment. Members felt it was important to facilitate mutual learning and to promote these ideas and drew up a toolkit to this effect.
  • Eurodiaconia toolkit for user participation and empowerment in social services, available in English , French and German (2010).
Final Conference of PESSIS project
21 May 2012 
 
PROMOTING EMPLOYERS’ SOCIAL SERVICES ORGANISATIONS IN SOCIAL DIALOGUE
 
Venue: European Economic and Social Committee Rue Belliard, 99
B-1040 Brussels

The social sector workforce and employers are not represented through European social dialogue instruments: a challenging observation
On behalf of EASPD, we would cordially invite you to the final conference of the project PESSIS: “Promoting employers’ social services organisations in social dialogue”, co-financed by the European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

The project aims at a better understanding of how social dialogue is organised and structured (or not) in the social sector in Europe. The objective is contributing to the development and promotion of social dialogue in the social service sector including not for profit employers as key actors.

To achieve this, a mapping exercise has been done across 11 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, and UK). The Conference will present the European Summary Report on social dialogue and collective bargaining in the social services sector, combining the 11 national reports, next to some political recommendations.

The Conference will be opened by EC representatives and then space will be given to the analysis of social dialogue systems and good practices in some specific countries (Belgium, Spain, Ireland, France and Austria). In the third part of the conference policy recommendations will be discussed with representatives of trade unions, Social Services Europe and of the European Commission.

Translation will be provided in French and Spanish

Registrations (no participation fees): This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (name, surname, membership organization, email address and document number)
 
Social dialogue project update
21 May 2012

The PESSIS project, of which Eurodiaconia is a European partner, is an initiative to promote the inclusion in social dialogue structures of employers in the non-profit social services sector. The project's research phase, covering 11 countries is now nearly complete, and the analysis and recommendations will be presented during an open conference in Brussels on 22 June.

Please find here the brief newsletter which gives an advance preview of the information collected by researchers in each country through interviews and round table meetings with key stakeholders.
 
Social Services Europe briefing on the proposal for a new directive on public procurement

17 April 2012

In light of the discussions on the reform of the EU's public procurement rules, Social Services Europe, of which Eurodiaconia is a founding member, has produced a briefing paper on the proposal for a directive. The briefing raises issues which are then dealt with in the initial position of Social Serivces Europe, which has been sent to the relevant actors in the European Parliament.
 
Social Services Europe meets with key MEP to discuss procurement reform
17 April 2012

A delegation from Social Services Europe, including Eurodiaconia, discussed the proposed directive on public procurement with the MEP responsible for coordinating the Employment and social Affairs Committee’s input into the Parliament’s position last week.

Ms Sippel, a German MEP in the Socialists and Democrats Group, was supportive of Social Services Europe's approach and will continue to work with the network as the report is drafted.

For Social Services Europe’s initial position paper please see here .
 
Social Services Europe release initial position on the Draft Public Procurement Directive

5 April 2012

Social Services Europe, of which Eurodiaconia is a founding member and currently holds the presidency, has released a briefing and initial position paper on the Draft Public Procurement Directive recently proposed by the European Commission. In our position we welcome the recognition of the specific characteristics of social services in the directive but propose some changes that would reinforce the aim of meeting 'common societal goals' as well as ensuring the best possible conditions for the provision of high quality social services. The full position paper can be downloaded here and the briefing paper here.

Social Services Europe has also written to the European Commission to propose ways in which the Voluntary European Quality Framework for Social Services of General Interest can be used and implemented.  We have stressed the need for follow up actions from the European Commission including calls for proposals to develop quality systems and giving exposure to Member States who have themselves launched initiatives to imlplement the VEQF. The full letter and annex can be read here and here.

For more information please contact Laura Jones or Heather Roy

 
 
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