Draft Paper for Discussion
Franz Wolfmayr (Austria)
1. General introduction on background and discussion of national policies relating to
sustainable livelihoods, social services and safety nets.
In Europe there are 14 different states within the European Union (EU) as an economic
association with the maingoal, to become one of the strongest economic bodies worldwide.
The EU want to reach this with
- Innovation, the old continent wants to become the new leader
- Preparation and realisation of the enlargement of the Union and
- Free circulation of goods, persons and services.
Within the EU social security systems are very different.
The other European countries want to become a member of the EU. Countries like Cyprus,
Hungary, Czech Republik, Polland, Slovakia, Slovenia, ... will be the next members, other
states like Letvia, Ukraine, ... have to wait to a date later on for entering the EU in
the future.
So we can find three very different types of nations at the moment in Europe on behalf
of social policy, especially relating to sustainable livelihoods, social services and
safety nets.
Because time to prepare was very short I will concentrate my presentation on the
situation especially in the EU countries.
The European Union Disability Strategy
has three main focuses:
- Cooperation between the Commission and the Member States
- Full Participation of People with Disabilities
- Mainstreaming Disability in Policy Formulation
Cooperation between the Commission and the Member States
Most of the practical work of making a society accessible can best be achieved in the
Member States. The subsidiarity principle applies - what can be achieved better at
national level shall be done at national level. But even where the Member States are the
principal actors the Commission may play a part by aiming to:
- strengthen cooperation with and between the Member States in the disability field
- promote the collection, exchange and development of comparable information and
statistics and good practice
- raise awareness of disability issues
- take account of disability issues in all policy making and legislative work of the
Commission - external and internal
A forum for exchange with the Member States is the High Level Group of Member States'
Representatives on Disability which meets on a regular basis. Awareness raising is part of
the 'European Day of Disabled People' with takes place in December each year and of the
National Information Days on disability issues. The year 2003 is planned to be the
European Year of Disabled People.
Changing attitudes towards people with disabilities in the area of employment is a key
issue. Disability aspects are included in the National Action Plans on Employment and in
the National Action Plans against Poverty and Social Exclusion. Some words of interest are
statistics, indicators, and accessibility.
In deciding on an EU Anti-discrimination directive in November 2000 the Member States
undertook (if they have not already done so) to prohibit discrimination of people with
disabilities and others on the labour market and in the workplace and in vocational
training. Reasonable accommodation - fitting - of the workplaces to the needs of people
who have disabilities is one of major changes in this legislation.
The European Council in Nice (7-9 December 2000) welcomed the joint proclamation, by
the Council, the European Parliament and the Commission, of the Charter of Fundamental
Rights, combining in a single text the civil, political, economic, social and societal
rights hitherto laid down in a variety of international, European or national sources. The
European Council would like to see the Charter disseminated as widely as possible amongst
the Union's citizens. The question of the Charter's force will be considered later.
Mainstreaming Disability in Policy Formulation
When the Commission creates or changes a policy it aims to consider the needs and
rights of people with disabilities. The Commission pays particular attention to disability
aspects in its socio-economic policies, programmes and projects. The Unit for the
Integration of People with Disabilities is responsible for mainstreaming disability
matters within the Commission. It organises regular meetings with representatives from
other Directorates-General in the context of an Interservice Disability Group. Its purpose
is to raise awareness of disability matters and to facilitate and encourage co-operation
on disability matters among Directorates-General.
Full Participation of People with Disabilities
The Commission considers that people with disabilities should be involved in the
planning, monitoring and evaluation of changes in policies, practises, programmes…
The Commission both encourages others to do so and seeks to do so itself. The Commission's
dialogue with the European Disability Forum (EDF) is an example of such practice. (The EDF
is an umbrella organisation representing for example Europan Co-ordinating Disability NGOs
and National Disability Councils.)
The Commission is committed to involving the Social Partners in efforts to integrate
people with disabilities into the labour market. The Social Partners adopted a Joint
Declaration on the Employment of people with disabilities at a meeting of the Social
Dialogue Committee on 19 May 1999.
Another example is the EQUAL initiative (2000-2006) where social partners and other key
players including representatives of groups who are discriminated in relation to
There are a some important bodies within the EU to steer and control the adressed
processes:
- The Unit for Integration of People with Disabilities is a key
player in the Commission's work to fulfil the aims of the European Union Disability
Strategy - full accessibility for all.
- The Disability Interservice Group consists of 'Disability
Correspondents' from people from relevant Directorates-General. They meet regularly to
ensure that Commission policies take on board the needs of people with Disabilities. The
Group aims to raise awareness of disability matters throughout the Commission.
- The High Level Group of Member States' Representatives on Disability consists
of senior officials from each Member State, with observers from Iceland, Norway and the
Council of Europe. The Group meet on a regular bases to exchange information with each
other and the Commission on various disability matters.
- The European Parliament Disability Intergroup consists of
cross-party Members of the European Parliament who focus on disability issues and ensure
they figure on the agenda.
2. Brief discussion of current national (or regional) situation related to social
services and structures and major issues of concern to policy makers and disabled persons
organizations
- In all European countries except the former Socialistic Countries ("behind the so
called iron curtain) before 1989 organizations of parents established service providing
organizations. Meanwhile in many countries these organizations belong to the biggest
employers in Europe. In the countries of the EU there are about 4 to 6 million people
directly employed in services for disabled persons indirect employment adds another 3
million people to the total. Huge money streams are engaged in the day to day running of
the sector.
- The service providers organizations together with organizations of parents behind and
from now on in the most countries organizations of disabled people are the motor for
developing the political strategies in EU countries and in the EU for disabled persons.
Within the EU there is also the European disability forum (EDF) the official
representative of disabled people in the EU involved in this process.
- In recent times an irreversible evolution has started in this sector within the EU. This
evolution has been triggered by the implementation of the strategy relating to the UN
declaration of Human Rights. The original, very general document, dating from 1948, has
been enhanced by more specific and pointed amendments. The Children's Rights Treaty
(1978), two UN agreements regarding the rights of persons with disabilities (1971 and
'75), the international year for persons with disabilities (1981), the UN standard rules
for Equal Opportunities (1994) and (inside Europe) the treaty of Amsterdam (1999) the
Charter on the fundamental rights (2000). The basic idea, the fundamental thought behind
the introduction of this legislation, is the central place of the individual, the person
as one specific person, with or without a limitation.
- The immediate effect on Service Providers is the individualisation of the services on
offer. Personalised care, personalised budget, follow-up, and support models, coaching is
a relatively new terminology in our sector, and is an indication of the above mentioned
evolution.
- In the same period we have seen a professionalisation of the sector. To deliver adequate
services, you need highly trained personnel, capable of rendering exactly and correctly
the required service with skill and knowledge. Not so long ago, a mere thirty years, the
sector was mainly staffed with religious or voluntary personnel. Nowadays they have been
replaced by paid employees, which have been selected for their professional value. We know
that this professionalisation has also some serious drawbacks e.g. the repartition of the
care-taking task among too many people, but nevertheless the overall view is that this
evolution seems to be good and irreversible. Recently we have seen an increased interest
in this seemingly 'forgotten' sector by the Unions, which is an indication of the sector's
professionalisation.
- In 1992 the European division of the World Health Organisation agreed, that the focus of
the care sector must turn towards quality management. The timing was very tight and
dictated that from 2000 each country must have finished the implementation of a quality
management strategy. Member States have complied with the requests of the WHO and
organised the quality management system. Together with the impact of many exchange
programmes, financed by the EU (Leonardo da Vinci, Helios, EVS, …) quality standards
have been Europeanised. Service providers in Cyprus compare their operational procedures
with colleagues in Scotland, and Hungary with Portugal. Exchanging models of best practice
and networking has become a daily activity. The implementation of the Treaty of Amsterdam
and the Human Rights Charter will reinforce this process. Service Providers can no longer
live on an Island but must integrate themselves into the community.
- Finally the sector is also turning towards more economical viewpoints. We are confronted
with so called "economicalisation". Throughout Europe, the basic idea of service
delivery is becoming more results focused. It is no longer the meaning employed to deliver
service which is important, the results achieved. This evolution is clearly visible in the
rapidly expanding techniques as global financing, forfait financing and auctions. The
profit sector was struck by the vast amounts of capital moving through the not for profit
sector. Profit and Not For Profit are practically merging. A global estimate of the
involved amount for the EU is roughly 45 billion Euro. The amount involved is gigantic,
the consequence of this for service providers is the necessity of accountability.
This raises the question: Is the non-profit sector still a non-profit sector?
Impressive ressources are raised by this sector through fund-raising and subsidies. I told
you, that up to 9 million people are employed in this sector. A new self - confidence of
this organizations working in this sector is growing.
- In relation to the customers there are two fundamental questions about service delivery:
- how do we keep the provision of a quality service at an acceptable cost level? If we
cannot solve this problem, we will find ourselves in a dual world in which those with
resources will have access to a certain standard of care, while those without resources
will be relegated to a basic care level. As a board member of European Union of service
providers for disabled People (EASPD) I stand for the principle of equal access to quality
care for all persons in need; we have to ensure, that the profitable parts of the care
sector are not privatised. If this were to happen, then a serious loss of quality would
become inevitable.
- The salary gap between the not for profit sectors and the profit sector raises the
question of the competitiveness of our salaries. Different EU countries are already
confronted with a serious brain drain from the not for profit towards the profit sector.
We have to stay competitive. The team of highly professional staff requests a new type of
motivation management. Long gone are the times that staff are motivated on a religious or
ethical basis rather than by a salary. As this religious and ethical motive disappears it
is essential that it will be replaced by the involvement of staff in the management and
the development of the organisation. As the salaries, our sector can pay, will probably
never reach comparable levels of that of the profit sector, we have to be creative and
find new strategies. Perhaps recognition and motivation of staff can be found in future in
life long learning possibilities, in self-development and in trans-national contacts, etc.
- The economicalisation of our sector presents fundamental challenges to all service
providers with not for profit roots. We will need to perform at the same level as the
profit sector, while stressing the extra value we can offer in an ever more secular world
where mainstreaming and inclusion are central principles. In response to the staffing
issues we have two possible solutions:
- As a non-profit organisation we offer more guarantees that the need for care is the
determining factor of what we offer and not the purchasing power of the client. This will
put a brake on the pure 'consumer orientation', activated by the profit motive. The
control of social cost is more transparent in a non-profit environment. That way our
sector becomes an instrument for measuring and realising social justice in the long term.
- Our sector is better placed than the profit sector to organise the expensive integration
of various care components. We are capable of offering integrated - which means cheaper
and better - care. Effectively, we are promoting the development of a vision which is
person centered. The profit sector will do the contrary, concentrate all its attention on
profit rather than service provision.
- The implementation of the UN standard rules and similar equivalent documents have placed
the disabled person into the centre. Full citizenship and inclusion are the general
guidelines. Realizing that, the big number of more traditional ways of delivering services
are put in question. The position of the authorities is evolving, regarding to financing,
towards a financial supplement based only on the extra cost due to the handicap. As all
social and medical services will become accessable for persons with a disability
(mainstreaming), only the extra cost for the disability will remain as a basis for
financing.
There are two emerging factors in relationship to the government:
- The governments wants to initiate a cost control in the social security and the social
welfare sector. It is right, that service providers have to account for the enormous
quantities of money involved in the sector and justify their use. Agreements between the
sector and the governments have to assure clarity and security for all parties involved
(government, disabled service users, service providers).
- Since the decision of WHO-Europe, every member state of the EU is working on a quality
management structure for the social and health sector. We have to ensure, that the
governements are not using this quality management as an instrument to cut costs or to
impose a kind of Mc Donalds care model. Such a model becomes fully standardised and looses
the person centred focus (there are already in some states such developments, for example
in germany or in one austrian region).
- In order to deliver a high quality of service for the customer, all involved services
have to work together in networks.
There are different networks important:
- Networks between service providers and clients (mostly local, centred around the
clients)
- Networks between service providers and their colleagues (committed to delivery of
services, the enhancement of knowledge and raising performance and flexibility through
exchange of best practice)
3. Review and discussion of lessons learned and future developments related to
reinforcing the disability perspective on livelihoods, social services and safety nets in
mainstream policies and programmes
Methods
- To put the individual and his needs in the center of services and other benefits it is
necessary to find out, what the needs of a concrete person in her concrete situation with
her concrete goals are. Services have to be also individual as an result of goal -
agreement.
This method should become also the method of administration as a base for the decision,
which service a disabled person get paid by regulation. There are some examples at the
moment in Europe, called person centered planning (Northern Ireland, some parts of England
and Scotland)
- To build up frameworks and framesituations, in which disabled people are able to learn
and to make decisions by themselves, not to treat them in an old type medical way.
Education
Some European countries adapted their law for basical education in schools. For
example, in Austria the families since 1994 have the right to choose, wether they want to
send their child with special needs to the regular school or to a special school. This
regulation is like in the most EU countries result of the longtime work of strong parents
groups and groups of teachers.
One problem at the moment is, to bring the knowledge of basical learning and helpful
environments to the teachers of the regular schools. Another big problem is the growth of
the number of children which are very strange in their behaviour. Their parents often try
to bring their childs to such classes with better personal ressources. And these childs
mostly need all the time they can get from the teachers.
But anyway, the idea of equal opportunities in schools at the moment is very broad known.
After basical school (up from 15 years) the integrative way of education mostly is
finished. Except the small number of people with a physical or sensual handicap which are
under the existing conditions (which differ very much from state to state) are able to
study on a university or another vocational higher school the most young people with
disabilities dont have any chance to get any further vocational education.
As perspective for the future at the moment there are some projects starting in
different European countries under the budget line of the EU Equal. There is one goal, to
make the transition from school into employment better. From this budget line we want to
get out a overall concept for the state, how to give pupils with special needs which
leaves the school equal opportunities.
One concrete example: My organization gives advice to pupils with special needs in all
schools of the Eastern part of Styria to become able to go the next steps to employment
after schooltime is finished already during the last years in school.
Family support
Family support systems in my opinion are to see as the most important prevention
against disintegration. When my organization started, most parents had the feeling, they
are wrong, their needs are wrong, their child with special needs is wrong. Many of them
became isolated and their children with a handicap too.
Early intervention services for example gave new possibilities for families. They
became able to live within their community, within their bigger family, they started to
come into the kindergardens and the schools in their village.
So our services have to support not only the child with a handicap they also have to
support - the living system of the family with the child
- the system of the regional community if the family wants to bring their child into the
regional kindergarden and the school
- the kindergardens and the schools with their special new situation. I mportant is the
same method, I mentioned above: to find out the needs and to negotiate the goals and to
make decisions about the individual service, the system can get.
In our experience the system of medical care has to be included into these services as
specialists, which can give advice to the service staff, how to deal with the medical
problems of the special child. We also include physiotherapists and logopedists into
mobile services, because it is very important to support the child in his individual
situation in his house to get possibilities to be able to be active, to sit or lay down in
good positions for activity, to learn to eat as independently as possible, ... .
Employment
- A directive of the EU is trying to implement equal treatment for persons with
disabilities in the labour market. The EU did the next step, to implement the standard
rules in the field of employment. The EU members have to adapt their laws to the goals of
this directive till the ende of 2004. One special point is new in this directive: the
burden of the proof must shift back to the respondent when evidence of such discrimination
is brought.
- Another very important point for me is the participation in all programmes which are run
in the EU member states on employment. For example, all European Regions have to bring key
players in the field of employment together to develop employment in the region within so
called "regional employment pacts". We as service providers cooperate in these
pacts with tourism, agriculture, communities, industry, ..., we try to steer development,
but also we try to build up new and supplementary enterprises in the field of education
and in the field of services, ... .
- All over Europe it is really new, that sheltered workshops became enterprises with high
quality products and services. I think, this new way to build up own enterprises in a
defined market segment with high quality products and services, which can be produced and
done by disabled people, should be a main strategy for the future. For example, in Europe
we have now a lot of really good and comfortable hotels, restaurants, of farmhouses with
special products, of services for communities, and so on. As a special type of these
enterprises could be a solution for rural countries in the next time: to build up shops
and pubs and so on in villages and regions where all other for profit enterprises has
closed.
Such enterprises gives to the employers and to the employees a new self confidence.
They are used, they have a job also in rural countrysides where the number of unemployed
people is high and they earn some money to cope with the situation of limited social -
budgets.
Political National Structure and organization of administration
- in some nations there are up to five ministries responsible for the fields of social
security, medical care, education and employment. Countries like Denmark made the issue of
Equal Opportunities to an overall topic for all ministries. So the government has to give
a annual report to the parliament, in which each ministry gives an overview about the
policy of the last year and its development.
- In accordance to this different responsibilities there are in some states also different
financing systems, which make a lot of difficulties for this changing of services
4. Elements of a participatory empowerment strategy to promote full and effective
involvement of persons with disabilities as development agents and beneficiaries
This is only a short list, it is because of lack of time for preparation before the
meeting in Jakarta not elaborated.
- The private not for profit service providers system
- Personal budgets as a basis for people with disabilities to organize and to pay their
services by themselves
- Personal planning systems as basis for decisions of the administration
- Education and employment of disabled persons in quality control systems for services
- A system of networks of strong private service providers organizations cooperating with
networks of disabled people on the political level
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