We offer you, in article format, the return of the session of the IGOP Social Services Laboratory where changes and transformation in the field of social services were discussed.
Why
In mid-November 2024, Lluís Torrens, renowned economist and former Secretary General of Social Affairs and Families of the Generalitat of Catalonia, visited us at the Social Services Laboratory.
He was our guest at the Social Services Laboratory, a space for reflection and debate and a research instrument in the field of social services policies, promoted by the IGOP, as a meeting point for professionals and the academic world.
Torrens came to talk to us about “Social services in times of change: proposals for transformation” where he started from the analysis of the current portfolio of social services in Catalonia, implemented since 2010, to show that it has become obsolete in the face of new social challenges, such as the accelerated aging of the population, the influx of immigrants, the increase in social and territorial inequalities, and the new care needs derived from mental disorders and chronic illnesses.
From his perspective, a comprehensive review of the portfolio is needed that addresses the division between basic and specialized social services, the need to incorporate a more flexible and preventive vision, and the implementation of new community care models. In addition, it is necessary to address the improvement of coordination between administrations and the governance of services, reduce territorial inequalities of access, and take advantage of technology to increase the efficiency of services and move towards a new model of provision based on personal budgets and progressive deinstitutionalization.
As a result of that session, the text you have in your hands emerges, where the author puts on paper his analysis and also his proposals for facing the change of era that we have had to experience.
We hope, therefore, that the text will also become a useful tool and feedback for the professionals who participated in the Laboratory and with their contributions helped to improve and enrich Torrens’ contributions. We would like to express our gratitude to all of them for the work they have done.
Ismael Blanco (director IGOP)
ARTICLE Social services in times of change: proposals for transformation.pdf (CAT EN ES)
Author
Lluís Torrens, economist and former Secretary General of Social Affairs and Families of the Generalitat of Catalonia.
As a reminder, we are adding the information from the session held on 11/14/2024
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We offer you a new session of the IGOP Social Services Laboratory where we will talk about changes and transformation in the field of social services.
Presentation by
Lluís Torrens, economist and former Secretary General of Social Affairs and Families of the Generalitat de Catalunya.
Presentation and moderation
Ismael Blanco, director of the Institute of Government and Public Policies (IGOP-UAB).
IGOP – Laboratori de Serveis Socials
14 November 2024
From 18:00 to 19:30 h
Escola de l’IGOP, Passeig d’Urrútia, 17 – Barcelona
Free prior registration due to capacity reasons at: https://bit.ly/inscripcioLABtransformacio
The analysis of the current portfolio of social services in Catalonia, implemented in 2010, shows us that it has become obsolete in the face of new social challenges, such as the accelerated aging of the population, the influx of immigrants, the increase in social and territorial inequalities, and the new care needs arising from mental disorders and chronic illnesses.
A comprehensive review of the portfolio is therefore needed that addresses the division between basic and specialized social services, the need to incorporate a more flexible and preventive vision, and the implementation of new community care models. In addition, it is necessary to address the improvement of coordination between administrations and the governance of services, reduce territorial inequalities of access, and take advantage of technology to increase the efficiency of services and move towards a new model of provision based on personal budgets and progressive deinstitutionalization.
The following topics are planned to be discussed:
- Updating the social services portfolio: how to adapt services to new social realities and what prioritization criteria should be taken into account.
- New models of community care: the role of basic social services as the central axis of community life and the importance of social capital in community cohesion.
- Deinstitutionalization and personal autonomy: how to promote home services with quality of life and guarantee the autonomy of people and their families.
- Challenges of territorial governance: improving coordination between the Generalitat and local entities to address inequalities in access to services.
- Innovation and technology: how to take advantage of new technologies to improve accessibility and service management, including tools such as artificial intelligence.
Open session but registration is required due to capacity constraints.
