The first Online Policy Lab of the CARES project was successfully held, focusing on current challenges in the care and social services sector, workforce wellbeing, and the future of social care systems. The online event brought together international participants, experts, and professionals working in the sector to jointly reflect on the most pressing challenges facing social services and discuss possible policy solutions.
The keynote presentation was delivered by Martin Lichte, the senior policy officer at the European Social Network (ESN), who provided an overview of workforce trends and structural challenges affecting social services across Europe.
The presentation highlighted that social services workers represent approximately 5% of the total EU workforce, while the sector remains significantly undervalued, underfunded, and characterised by difficult working conditions. It was also emphasised that 80-90% of the workforce is women, the average age of workers is above 45 in many countries (somewhere 55+), and the demand for long-term care services continues to rise across Europe.
Several innovative European good practices were presented during the keynote session, including community-based preventive care models, respite care programmes supporting family carers, and examples of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in social services. The presentation stressed that technological developments in care services must remain accessible, ethical, inclusive, and human-centred, while reducing administrative burdens and supporting independent living.
The second part of the event featured a presentation by the lead partner of the CARES project, Claudia Petrescu (Center for Not-for-profit Law), who introduced the main findings of the project’s transnational benchmark research examining social and health care systems in the project’s partner countries – Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania. The research highlighted that population ageing, increasing care needs, and workforce shortages are placing growing pressure on care systems across all four countries.
One of the main findings of the research was that social care workers remain highly dedicated to their profession, while burnout, emotional exhaustion, and secondary traumatic stress are reaching alarming levels in several countries, including Hungary. Survey participants identified excessive workload, low salaries, staff shortages, administrative burdens, and insufficient organisational support as the main sources of stress.
The moderated breakout discussions also provided an opportunity for participants to share national experiences and formulate recommendations. In the Hungarian discussion group, participants highlighted the lack of social recognition for social work, the need for stronger cooperation between organisations within the sector, and concerns regarding the weakening of professional qualification requirements in social services. Hungarian participants also stressed the importance of strengthening university-level social work education and improving coordination between the social, health, and education sectors.
Among the recommendations formulated during the discussions were improving salaries and working conditions, strengthening institutional support for workers’ mental well-being, expanding mentoring and training opportunities, and increasing the social recognition of care professions.
The outcomes of the event will contribute to the CARES project’s further professional development and the preparation of future policy recommendations.
The project will continue in the coming months with additional professional events and a second Online Policy Lab to strengthen international exchange and share good practice through individual presentations by professionals working in the social care sector.
Regarding the upcoming events, more information will be shared with you soon.
You can find the CARES project’s Benchmark Report on Social Care Sectors at the National and EU Level here: CARES_Benchmark_report_on_social_care_sectors_Transnational.