Improving work-life balance through enabling social services

The objective of this research is to show through ten case studies that high quality, accessible and affordable services, such a childcare and long-term care, are key factors to improve work-life balance of families and informal carers. Moreover, the report gives recommendations and guidance to policy makers at EU and national level and to social services providers.

The following 3 main findings are highlighted in the report

• Social services, including social care and employment services, are deeply rooted in the national contexts.
• Innovative services are often the result of the proactive initiative of individuals / organisations that intend to respond to a social need that is unmet and to fill gaps in public service provision.
• Services aimed at improving the work-life balance also reflect cultural backgrounds and, in particular, two different concepts of reconciliation and work-life balance.

Recommendations

The main recommendation is addressed to national level social services providers, calling on them, to include work-life balance and equal sharing of care responsibilities between women and men as essential dimension of the quality control system of the services they provide. The authors also advise providers to examine the research findings on the existing gaps between leave policies, cash benefits and related service provision in EU countries, in order to analyse the possibility to adapt their service or develop new services to fill the gaps.

To access to the full report, click here

Social Services Europe is a non-profit social & care service provider, which aims to strengthen the profile and position of social services and promote the role of non-for-profit social service providers in Europe. They do this through: Advocacy work; Networking and alliance-building; Projects investigating service organisation and delivery.