1. No category

Social policy innovation – how to implement a
social investment approach
Following a social investment perspective, social policy
innovation must guarantee the well-being of people and
bring added social value, as well as inclusive economic
prosperity. Due to the lack of a common EU definition,
current long-term and comprehensive social policies are at
risk, as it might seem they lack the innovative element.
Therefore, social innovation must be measured against
certain quality criteria and should not be interpreted as a
way to replace social investment.
KEY MESSAGES
SOLIDAR welcomes the increasing attention that the EU has been paying to social
innovation, in particular in the framework of the EU 2020 Strategy and its flagship
initiatives (European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion, Innovation Union and
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its pilot project “Social Innovation Europe”), the Social Investment Package, the New
Skills Agenda, the Digital Agenda, as well as in the new programming period of EU funds
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2014-2020 .
Social innovation should be considered as one of the
means to achieve the social objectives of the Europe 2020
Strategy and to increase the quality of life of service
users/beneficiaries, as well as empowerment of individuals,
participation in society and social cohesion.
Social policy innovation should not be used as a way to
replace investment in social inclusion.
1
http://www.solidar.org/Social-Investment-indispensible.html
Horizon 2020, the European Social Fund, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Union
Programme for Employment and Social Innovation
2
1
With the support of
We believe that in order to safeguard the European welfare model, social policy innovation
should only be embedded by a social investment approach, with the emphasis on the
long-term social costs of not investing in people. During a conference organised by
SOLIDAR and EUROFOUND in December 2012, European Commissioner László Andor
stated
that
“We
need
to
sustain
social investment into
human
capital
3
and social cohesion to avoid much higher costs in the future”. This was followed by
the publication of the Social Investment Package in February 2013, which reaffirms the
lasting impact of social investment and social protection on cohesion and economic
prosperity. Social policy innovation should be directed in this perspective.
We would also like to stress the fact that the innovative aspect must not become the only
decisive factor to implement social policies, which could otherwise oust long-term
comprehensive policies that might have proven useful, but are not innovative in the sense
of being “new”. Innovation does not only need adequate funding and time to develop, but
failure of innovative projects must also be possible and not financially undermined.
THE CURRENT EU POLICY CONTEXT
Although there is no common EU definition yet, social innovation is a theme that
runs through many of the recent EU policies, initiatives, communications,
legislative proposals and programmes.
Firstly, social innovation is a major theme in EU policies within the Europe 2020 Strategy.
The concept received considerable attention in m any of the Commission’s key initiatives
underpinning the Europe 2020 Strategy, from the New Skills Agenda to the European
Platform Against Poverty.
Social innovation is also promoted through the “Innovation Union” flagship initiative, which
focuses on investment in education, research and innovation as the key to achieving
smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, and aims to remove obstacles to innovation and
‘revolutionise the way public and private sectors work together, notably through Innovation
Partnerships between the European institutions, national and regional authorities and
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business’ . The financial instrument implementing the “Innovation Union” is Horizon 2020,
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4
http://www.solidar.org/Social-Innovation-Does-Not-Replace.html
http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/index_en.cfm?pg=intro
2
With the support of
the 8th EU framework programme for research and innovation, which commits to
addressing societal challenges, including making progress towards inclusive, innovative,
secure societies. In this context, it commits to integrating funding for social innovation with
support for research and technological development.
In December 2013, the EU Council of Ministers adopted the new EU Programme for
Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI)
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aimed at improving and modernising
employment and social policies. EaSI merges three pre-existing programmes: Progress
(Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity), EURES (European Employment
Services) and the European Progress Microfinance Facility. The main objective of the
programme is to support innovative policies and practices promoting high-quality and
sustainable employment, guaranteeing adequate and decent social protection, combating
social exclusion and poverty, and improving working conditions with a Europe-wide
dimension in order to supplement the ESF and other funds which have a more local
dimension.
The EaSI programme promotes the implementation of policy reforms and evidence-based
social innovation in the area of employment and social affairs, as well as supports
knowledge sharing and social policy experimentations in the most critical policy areas
such as youth employment or inclusion of disadvantaged groups. EaSI forms the fourth
pillar of the EU Initiative for Employment and Social Inclusion 2014-2020 (together with the
European Social Fund (ESF), the Fund for the European Aid for the most Deprived and
the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund), showing that innovation is a core issue in
the social and employment policy coordination plans of the European Commission.
An important policy document in which the concept of social innovation plays a key role is
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the European Commission’s communication on the Social Investment Package (SIP) ,
launched in February 2013 with the aim to guide Member States towards the adoption of
more efficient and effective social policies based on a social investment approach which
empowers and supports people at all stages of their lives. Amongst the SIP integrated
objectives, embedding innovation in evidence-based policy making, encouraging
cooperating structures for innovative service design and delivery, and ensuring adequate
financial support for social innovation, all play an important role.
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6
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1081&langId=en
SOLIDAR fact sheet on the SIP: http://www.solidar.org/IMG/pdf/factsheet_social_investment_package.pdf
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With the support of
DEFINITIONS
There is no common EU-wide definition of social innovation. The term ‘social
innovation’ is mentioned in different EU publications. For instance, the EU
Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) defines social innovations as
“innovations that are social both as to their ends and their means, and in particular those
which relate to the development and implementation of new ideas (concerning products,
services and models), that simultaneously meet social needs and create new social
relationships or collaborations, thereby benefiting society and boosting its capacity to act”.
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The European Commission, in its guide on social innovation, defines it “as the
development and implementation of new ideas (products, services and models) to meet
social needs and create new social relationships or collaborations. It represents new
responses to pressing social demands which affect the process of social interactions. It is
aimed at improving human well-being. Social innovations are innovations that are social
both in their ends and their means. They are innovations that are not only good for society
but also enhance individuals’ capacity to act.”
In a general sense, as stated on the Commission’s website, social innovation means
developing new ideas, services and models to better address social issues. It invites input
from public and private actors, including civil society, to improve social services and
address the following challenges:
Challenges - Social innovation will play a crucial role in addressing several key questions:
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
How to address societal challenges effectively and efficiently within a tight
budget?

What does strategic social investment look like and how can social policy support
it?

How to support people in lifelong learning to ensure adequate livelihoods in a
changing world?

How can innovative partnerships bring private and non-governmental resources to
complement state funding?

How to strengthen evidence-based knowledge in policy-making and reforms?
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http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/presenta/social_innovation/social_innovation_2013.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1022
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With the support of
INNOVATION IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE SECTOR
Because of their role in preventing poverty and enabling
fundamental rights, social services should only be
innovative and modernised according to the social
investment approach.
Social services are a key component of the European welfare model as they are the
enabler of fundamental rights, play a preventive role to main risks in life and facilitate
social cohesion and equality. They also have a role in enhancing participation in society
and in the labour market. For all these reasons, access to social services has been
defined by the European Commission as one of the three pillars of the Active Inclusion
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Strategy that encourages Member States to take measures for active inclusion of people
left out from the labour market (the other pillars being namely adequate income support
and inclusive labour markets).
In recent years there has been a growing focus on the need to promote innovation in the
social services sector, in order to respond to new societal changes, as well as to
overcome structural challenges within the sector. Societal changes are driven in particular
by demographic shifts and new needs resulting from economic and social changes,
including the current financial crisis, as well as the consequences of the austerity policies
pursued in some Member States. The main structural challenges within the social services
sector are: lack of financial resources, particularly in the context of the financial and
economic crisis and austerity measures; staff shortages and/or lack of qualified staff due
to lack of resources, and/or ageing workforce; limits to continuing the expansion of existing
solutions due to cost, sustainability and infrastructure reasons, and increasing crossborder nature of service provision. Innovative solutions should therefore be implemented
in the sector in order to overcome these challenges, by safeguarding the risk-preventing
and employability-enhancing role of social services. Innovation should help to improve
quality, efficiency and availability of existing services, and to create new services to better
meet users’ needs.
It is important for SOLIDAR to point out that social
innovation in the social services sector must be driven by a
social investment approach. This is to say that only those
innovative policies and modernisation reforms aiming at
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http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:307:0011:01:EN:HTML
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With the support of
improving the preventing role of social services,
strengthening people’s participation and capacities, should
be supported.
In addition, SOLIDAR stresses the important role played by
the established sector of social economy actors and social
service providers in adapting to new needs and
overcoming social/structural challenges, resulting from
their long-standing experience and work in the field. The
role of these stakeholders in delivering on the social
objectives of the Europe 2020 Agenda, by providing high
quality social services, should be recognised and
strengthened by the EU institutions.
THE ROLE OF SOLIDAR MEMBERS IN PROMOTING ACTIVE INCLUSION THROUGH
SOCIAL INNOVATION
Social innovation is an intrinsic part of the daily work of SOLIDAR members who
are on the front line of facing new needs and adapting their services to structural
changes. For SOLIDAR members, developing new solutions or improving existing ones,
in order to overcome societal challenges and better meet people’s needs, is the starting
point of social innovation and a crucial part of their daily work. Innovations emerging from
this process contribute to achieving the social objective of the Europe 2020 Agenda and in
particular to spur inclusive growth.
The experience of SOLIDAR members providing social services shows that innovation at
local level is complex and does not only derive from market competition, but also from the
need to improve the quality and the availability of existing services.
Before thinking about how to foster and scale-up innovation, SOLIDAR believes it is
necessary to clarify what kind of social innovation should be promoted. To this end, we
consider the following to be the most important quality criteria to be taken into account :

an improved availability, accessibility, affordability, quality and sustainability of
social services;

a progress towards the headline targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy for ‘smart,
sustainable and inclusive growth’;

a contextual fit and transferability from one context to another, given the diversity
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With the support of
of social services contexts within the EU;

a maximum social impact in terms of empowerment of users, social inclusion and
participation in society, social cohesion, urban regeneration.
SOLIDAR members are key actors in spurring social innovation for the following reasons:

They are on the frontline as new needs emerge; therefore they are able to
identify new needs, gaps in the existing provision and the actual or possible
unintended consequences of policy and practice in the context of vulnerable
service users.

They are locally based, therefore they have a unique relationship with service
users and they can drive their users’ involvement in the process of identifying
needs.

They have specific expertise and represent a source of precious information
on social needs.

Most of the organisations are deeply-rooted in society and have a long-term
commitment to meeting social needs and promoting the wellbeing of service
users.

They have a key role to play in evaluating social innovation because of their
acquired experience and expertise.

They are also in a privileged position to involve users, to build consensus
between partners and to help identify which outcomes should be measured.

They can help policymakers and other stakeholders to define the conditions for
successful scaling-up, taking into account users’ needs.
EXAMPLES OF INNOVATIVE SERVICES
AUSTRIA:
Internet
Café
and
meeting
point
for
former
homeless
people
Zwischenschritt is an Internet Café and meeting point for former homeless people.
Internet access is for free and consumption is not obligatory. Computer courses and
individual support in using the internet, searching for jobs and counseling are among the
available services. The services are provided by a core team of former homeless people
supported by social workers. The Internet Café is based on the concept of peer learning.
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With the support of
Thus it follows a low-threshold strategy to attract the target group. In parallel, social
workers are supporting the peers and counseling them. The Internet Café opened in May
2013, gets financial support from the Vienna Social Fund and is managed by SOLIDAR
member Samaritan Austria (Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Österreich). A detailed description of
the innovative characteristics and the impact of this project will soon be available on
SOLIDAR’s website.
Find more: http://www.samariterbund.net/soziales/wohnungslosenhilfe/internetcafe/
AUSTRIA: Spacelab for labour market integration
Spacelab is an offer consisting of different modules in youth work and labour market
projects. Due to its low threshold approach, the project enables young people to gain first
vocational orientation and practical work experience. Another part of the project is a youth
counselling service where social workers go to the neighbourhoods and actively approach
young people in parks or shopping malls.
Participation in the project is open to young people registered with the labour market
service but also to young people not registered. The project is especially designed for
young people between the age of 15 and 25 who are not in education, employment or
training (NEETs) who fulfil at least one of the following attributes: problems in the
transition from school to employment; non or very little experience in working life; outside
the scope of classical labour market instruments; uncertain vocational perspective;
multiple social problems; recipient of the means tested minimum income.
It consists of different modules at three different locations and it takes place in cooperation
with three organisations among which is Volkshilfe, a member of SOLIDAR. A detailed
description of the innovative characteristics and the impact of this project will soon be
available on SOLIDAR website.
Find more here: www.volkshilfe-beschaeftigung.at/betriebeundprojekte/spacelab
SPAIN: A school for peace to promote active inclusion
The School for Peace is an open space of education carried out by SOLIDAR
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With the support of
member Movimiento por la paz (MPDL). The initiative aims at providing educational
support to children and young people and their families living in El Pozo - Entrevías (one
of the most deprived districts of Madrid) through enabling alternative participation for their
non-formal curriculum development.
The educational proposal of the School for Peace is focused on the development of the
intellectual and moral faculties of the participants with the aim to reach the following
objectives: combating early school leaving; promote, support and ensure school
attendance; offer resources that encourage access to the existing educational levels;
provide the skills needed, both personal and social, peaceful co-existence, to be healthy
and able to meet the challenges of adult life in the best possible conditions.
Different activities are implemented: study skills workshops, labour and educational
guidance, educational resources and information sessions, actions for the involvement of
a child in the educational community and the acquisition of curricular expectations,
facilitate grants and school and business partnerships, training in culture of peace,
excursions and cultural outings, development of artistic, sports and environmental
disciplines, trips and cultural excursions, European and national exchanges.
Find more: http://escueladepaz.mpdl.org/
THE NETHERLANDS: Mentoring to prevent premature school drop-outs
“Mentormaatjes” is a project run by SOLIDAR member Humanitas to assist young
pupils in a vulnerable situation to (re)find their way in life and school.
Pupils are helped by a trained (young) person from outside the school (the mentor). Thus,
the mentor is not an educational professional but a student or young professional of at
least 18 years, graduated from secondary school or vocational training.
The most important aspect of the mentoring is the social-emotional support (attention and
a listening ear). The pupils are more likely to accept the guidance of their mentor because
they see the mentor as an example and as a neutral person. An important national and
international policy target is avoiding pupils to become a ‘NEET’ (‘not in employment,
education or training’). The aim of Mentormaatjes is to prevent young people from leaving
school before graduating.
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With the support of
Research on the impact of the service has been carried out by the University of Tilburg
and has shown an increased self-confidence of the young pupils and improved attendance
rates at school. A detailed description of the innovative characteristics and the impact of
this project will soon be available on SOLIDAR’s website.
Find more: http://www.humanitasmentormaatjes.nl/front-page
GERMANY: Empowering people with mental disabilities to contribute to active
inclusion
‘BBBZ’ is a meeting, counseling and employment centre managed by SOLIDAR
member Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB) in the Falkensee Region (Germany) which aims
at empowering people with mental disabilities and/or severe psycho-social impairments as
well as at improving their chances of participating in society, accessing the labour market
and living independently.
The centre is innovative because it contributes to filling the gap created by the lack of
services to support and motivate mentally disabled people to access the labour market in
Germany. Examples of services offered are: psycho-social support, workshops and group
activities on dealing with everyday life problems and improving independent living as well
as training to improve disabled people’s learning skills and ability to work. By helping
remove barriers and improve the social inclusion and integration of the disabled in society,
the centre gives a chance to people who had no chances. The project is financed by funds
from the agency for the promotion of employment and its own funds.
Find more: www.asb.de/regionalsuche.html?tx_asbservices%5buid%5d=818
ITALY: Intergenerational cohabitation to promote active inclusion
Abitare Solidale is a project carried out by SOLIDAR member AUSER together with
the Municipality of Florence and the association ARTEMISIA. This project offers an
innovative and sustainable solution to older people in need of help for household
maintenance and household keeping as well as to persons experiencing economic
difficulties who are in need of affordable and decent accommodation and to women who
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With the support of
are victims of domestic violence and in need of a temporary shelter.
Social workers, public authorities and volunteers work together to provide tailor-made
housing solutions as well as support and protection (through ad hoc legal tools) to users in
all stages of the cohabitation. The project facilitates the creation of interpersonal
relationships and promotes the value of solidarity between generations as a way to
actively participate in society and combat isolation. Moreover, Abitare Solidale is
environmentally-friendly and highly sustainable: it is based on the optimisation of existing
housing stock and represents an alternative to retirement houses which are not
sustainable in the long-term for structural and environmental reasons.
Find more: www1.auser.it/IT/Page/t01/view_html?idp=288
UNITED KINGDOM: Red Route Café
Red Route Café is a social enterprise café run by one of the UK’s largest volunteering
and social action charities, CSV, member of SOLIDAR. Sited in Hackney, East London,
which is amongst the capital’s most disadvantaged boroughs, the Café offers
apprenticeships to young people not in education, training or employment (NEETS).
The Café opened in June 2013 in response to the London riots. High levels of
unemployment, deprivation and lack of opportunities were cited as causes of community
concerns which contributed to the riots. The not-for-profit Café was opened to aid
community cohesion and offer training, work experience and volunteering opportunities to
young people living in the riot-hit communities.
Named after the busy bus route outside (with its red line road markings), the Café
currently has two full-time employees, one apprentice and two volunteers (one of whom is
a student with CSV Springboard Hackney – the learning centre in the same building).
A detailed description of the innovative characteristics and the impact of this project will
soon be available on SOLIDAR’s website.
Find more: www.csv.org.uk
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With the support of
SWEDEN: Study centres in cooperation with ethnic associations
SOLIDAR member ABF Göteborg (the Gothenburg branch of the Swedish Worker’s
Educational Association) supports and encourages the ethnic associations in their study
efforts, with the goal of creating a step-by-step methodology for approaching Swedish
society.
Many of the associations organise workshops in various social issues and basic subjects
such as the Swedish language, English and mathematics. Other activities include dance,
music, cooking, crafts and painting. Being a member of an ethnic association, with your
home language and culture in focus, is an important part of integration. The different
associations function as both a link to the “old” societies left behind and as a major
gateway to the Swedish society and community. The activities are open for everyone, no
matter what education level you might have. In collaboration with several ethnic
associations, ABF Göteborg is building a network of outreach officers. Specified target
groups are migrants. The ambition is to decrease gaps in knowledge as well as
strengthening local democracy.
Find more here: http://www.abf.se/goteborg/
FRANCE: Health community in Seclin
La santé communautaire is a community project for health and self-esteem. Run by
SOLIDAR member CEMEA the project involves local representatives – such as social
workers and healthcare workers – and the various inhabitants of Seclin, a town of 13,000
inhabitants situated in the north of France.
The objective is to develop synergies between competencies, linking professional
healthcare workers to the inhabitants in a way that encourages dialogue and citizen’s
participation.
The main activity is a workshop focused on drama and theatre, exploring the concept of
self-esteem. The workshop is organised by a professional actress. The activities of La
santé communautaire are based on active involvement from the local population as they
work together to identify mutual problems and then strive to solve them by working
together, utilising both individual talents and the collective resources available in the
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With the support of
environment around them.
On a whole, the project provides new opportunities for open minded exchanges, ultimately
transforming the local community into a more open and democratic place to live,
populated by people who believe in themselves and in what they can achieve when
working together with others.
Find more here: http://cemea.asso.fr
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With the support of
WHAT KIND OF SOCIAL POLICY INNOVATION DO WE NEED?
Our Recommendations:

Social innovation should not be promoted as an aim in
itself
but
as
one
of
the
means
to
enhance social progress and to deliver on the objectives
of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The EU support for social policy innovation should go
hand in hand with the support for a social investment
approach in order to safeguard a risk-preventing,
inclusion oriented and sustainable growth model.
Therefore, a clearer definition of the criteria delineating
social innovation as well as a better coordination among
the initiatives undertaken by different institutions and
Directorates General could help.

In the social service sector – which is crucial for
developing social cohesion and inclusive growth - social
innovation should be defined against certain quality
criteria and should not be interpreted as a way to replace
investment and commitment. Instead, innovation which
contributes to ensuring high standards of living and
working through the delivery of affordable and highquality social services should be prioritised.

The EU should acknowledge and support the innovation
capacity of established social economy actors who have
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With the support of
a long-standing tradition in adapting to social changes
and needs and in providing high-quality services which
contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth.
SOLIDAR is a European network of 60 NGOs working to advance social justice in Europe and worldwide.
SOLIDAR voices the concerns of its member organisations to the EU and international institutions across the
policy sectors social affairs, international cooperation and lifelong learning. For more info www.solidar.org
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With the support of