Many social service providers often struggle to get access to private finance for their activities. There are three main reasons for this: misconceptions and poor communication between social service providers and investors, and expertise gap and lack of capacity on both sides, as well as unsuitable tools and instruments. However, how social care & support is delivered differs across the EU (three main patterns) and this also needs to be accounted for when considering the capacity to secure and use social investment.
To tackle these challenges, the a4i project was created to develop a neutral platform to improve the relevance of teaching content in the professional development of decision-makers. In a4i, Social Service Providers (SP), Private Investors (PI) and Higher Education Institutions (HEI) work together to create a new cross-sectoral teaching concept, based on integrated academic and adult training learning methods together with models and case examples of good practices. Therefore, thanks to this project, Social Services Providers and Private Investors can use common knowledge and tools to understand each other, communicate and collaborate more easily.
On 28 October 2020 EASPD organised a webinar to explore how these key elements can be aligned and to discuss the role of the European Union in doing so, in particular in view of the upcoming EU Recovery Plan, the Action Plan for the European Pillar of Social Rights and the Action Plan for the Social Economy.
Joanna Lane, HCN managing director also spoke at the event. She presented the a4i State of the Art Paper on Social Investment in Social Care developed by HCN, which paper is contributing to programmes of professional development in social services in the EU.
http://www.socialinvestment.eu/en/knowledge-center
https://www.easpd.eu/en/content/alliance-inclusive-investment-social-care-and-support-a4i-project
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This project is financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The information contained in this news item does not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Commission.