Our partner Social Services Europe (SSE), in collaboration with Pierfrancesco Majorino MEP, will soon hold an event in the European Parliament on the importance of social services. The event, titled “Do Social Services Matter for EU?” will take place on the 21st of January in the European Parliament in Brussel (Room ASP 3H1) from 4.30 pm – 6.30 pm.

Social Services Europe is a network of eight umbrella organisations, including Eurodiaconia, representing not-for-profit social service providers. The organisations represent over 100,000 social and health care services active across Europe in promoting social inclusion and social cohesion.
SSE believes investing in people through social and health care services brings both social and economic returns. Social and health care services allow people to live with dignity and also support them to engage in economic activities that contribute to growth. This double benefit has also been recognised by the EU most recently in the Council Conclusions on the Economy of Wellbeing. And the forthcoming Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights is an opportunity to promote and facilitate the crucial role that social and health care services play in securing social rights. The social sector is also a major employer across Europe, yet there are numerous barriers to recruit and retain staff in our sector that must be addressed at EU level.

This event will bring together key EU policy-makers and stakeholders to debate the current developments and challenges of the social and health care sector and to explore what practical steps must be taken to ensure the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) become a reality in Europe.

The meeting will also be an opportunity to present SSE’s latest research report on barriers to employment in the social and health care sector which has a specific focus on migrants. The event will be followed by a cocktail reception.

 

Please do not hesitate to register online you wish to attend the meeting.