• 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 Saturday, May 18, 2013
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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).
Video message from Jean Lambert MEP following debate on investing in social services

Video message from Jean Lambert MEP following debate on investing in social services despite austerity

21 March 2013

Watch Jean Lambert MEP's video message following the debate that she hosted on investing in social services on the 19th March, co-organised by Eurodiaconia.

What did she think were the most important conclusions from the meeting? How can the European Parliament help encourage governments to take a social investment approach? And finally, what message would she send Eurodiaconia members?

 

Message from Jean Lambert, Member of the European Parliament, following debate on investing in social services from Eurodiaconia on Vimeo.
 
19 March Lunchtime Debate: Investing in Social Services despite austerity

19 march poster pic
 
Promoting quality in tendering for social services: update on reform of directive

March 7 2013

Following the vote by the European Parliament on the proposed public procurement directive in its Internal Market Committee (IMCO) in December, the lead MEPs have now been given the authority to start negotiations with national governments.  

Eurodiaconia and partners were pleased that IMCO decided to propose that the possibility for public authorities to award contracts based on lowest price be abolished, as advocated for last year. This is aimed to stress the importance of quality in contracting, but this will be one of the most controversial elements in the debate with Member States. The European Parliament also strengthened the wording of the section that deals with specific rules for social services, including that authorities must take into account the need to ensure high quality services, which will also need to be defended with national governments.

Eurodiaconia and other Social NGOs tried to get an explicit recognition of the possibility for a national law reserving markets to NGOs into the text but this was not taken on board by the Parliament. A full analysis of the IMCO and the Member States’ positions in January from the Social Platform can be found here.

The amendments the IMCO committee have proposed relating to social services will be discussed mid-April, and with Social Services Europe and the Social Platform Eurodiaconia will be contacting key MEPs, political staff and national representatives. Eurodiaconia has been working with these partners to feed into the Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement's proposals for the negotiations.

The final vote in the European Parliament on the Directive is expected in the Autumn but this is likely just to be an affirmation of the positions agreed in the negotiations. For more information on the previous discussions on public procurement rules see here.
 
Investing in social services despite austerity: invitation and registration open

20 February 2013

Invitation - Investing in social services despite austerity debateJean Lambert MEP and Eurodiaconia are pleased to invite you to the European Parliament for a lunchtime debate to discuss Social Investment in light of the financial and economic crisis.

Eurodiaconia will present its policy recommendations and provide practical evidence to support them through interventions by diaconal organisations from Austria and the Netherlands. Host Jean Lambert MEP will also bring her reflections from her work on the report "The impact of the crisis on access to care for vulnerable groups." Additional contributions and discussions will come from MEPs and a European Commission representative with a particular focus on the Social Investment Package.

The meeting will take place on 19th March 2013, which is also World Social Work Day. Refreshments will be available from 12.30 and the meeting will run from 12.45 until 15.00. The full draft agenda can be found here. Please register here by the 8th March here.
 
Policy Recommendations for Social Services in Times of Crisis

Policy Recommendations for Social Services in Times of Crisis

Eurodiaconia's most recent publication, "Policy Recommendations for Social Services in Times of Crisis," is now available in print and online! Inside you'll find data compiled over the course of three years concerning the impact of the economic crisis on social services provided by Eurodiaconia members, as well as Eurodiaconia's recommendations to policy makers. 

Click above to read it, or here to download.
 
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