World Bank Group

04/29/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/27/2025 18:21

Strengthening social services at the local level: Unlocking financing and innovation for social services

Next Seminar | April 29, 9-10 AM ET

Leveraging the private and third sectors in the provision of social services
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Leveraging the private and third sectors in the provision of social services

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 9-10 AM ET| Register/Join Webex

Decentralization is often pursued as a means to empower local authorities and improve service delivery by tailoring services to the specific needs of communities. However, it can also present challenges in service provision, particularly when local governments face inefficiencies in procurement strategies, complex regulatory frameworks, and limited resources. These challenges can undermine the ability of local authorities to deliver services consistently.

This session will explore different commissioning strategies and highlight successful procurement practices that have helped strengthen the consistency and efficiency of social services at the local level. It will discuss how countries assess which services to outsource and how they ensure that quality is maintained throughout the outsourcing process. Experiences from Slovakia and Finland will be shared, offering valuable insights into how outsourcing can contribute to more sustainable and efficient provision of social services.

Harnessing the power of human resources in social services

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Tuesday, May 13, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Human resources are the backbone of good quality social services. However, low wages, limited training programs and career advancement opportunities hinder the recruitment and retention of qualified personnel. These factors contribute to persistent workforce shortages, high turnover rates, and caregiver burnout, undermining the effectiveness of social service delivery. Family caregivers, who provide essential support to households, also face significant physical and emotional burdens, which national policies often fail to adequately address.

This session will explore policy frameworks and strategies aimed at improving the working conditions and well-being of both paid and unpaid caregivers. It will focus on the role of policies that support family caregivers, as well as initiatives to enhance the training, formalization, and retention of paid caregivers. Drawing on experiences from international organizations and country case studies, the session will identify best practices for enhancing care quality and advancing the professionalization of the caregiving sector.

Strategic planning of social services, driving equity and access for all

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About this session

Effective planning for social services requires coordination among key stakeholders, reliable data on population needs and adequate financing. Across Europe and Central Asia (ECA), countries adopt different approaches to designing and delivering social services, with some countries emphasizing local autonomy while others follow national guidelines. However, access to services remains unequal within countries, particularly in rural areas, due to gaps in data availability, differences in targeting mechanisms, and disparities in financing capacity.

This session will examine how governments plan social services to meet users' needs, define roles and responsibilities between different levels of government, and determine which services to provide in alignment with population needs. The session will also discuss the link between planning and financing and how these elements influence equity and access to social services. Experiences from Lithuania, Spain and Italy will be presented to bring different perspectives in the design and planning of social services.

Speakers

Speakers

  • Justina Jakštienė
    Former Vice-Minister, Social Security and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania

    Justina has worked extensively on Social Policy & Inclusion, developing national reforms in social policy, disability assessment, labor market inclusion, gender equality, social services and support for disadvantaged in Lithuania. She has expertise in national change management, impact assessment for strategic planning and sustainability as well as working with EU funds and program management. In the migration and humanitarian aid agenda, Justina worked on asylum policies, and social resilience, ensuring inclusive support systems. She is a PhD candidate, researching Lithuania's demographic policy and labor market transformations.

  • Maria Dolores Ruiz Bautista
    Deputy General Director for Social Services, Spanish Ministry of Social Rights, Consume Affairs and 2030 Agenda

    Since 2007, Lola works in social policy on National plans and strategies for the prevention and fight against poverty, homelessness and for inclusion of Roma population. She leads the technical and financial collaboration with the Autonomous Communities in several programs and management of the information system for social services users. She is member of the Social Protection Committee in the European Commission. She has served as Secretary of the Social Inclusion Network, Secretary of the State Council of the Roma People and Patron of the Institute of Roma Culture.

  • Angelo Marano
    Director General, Italian Ministry of Labor and Social Policies.

    Angelo Marano is a Director General at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, where he directed the Directorate against poverty and the Directorate for social security. Currently is an auditor at the Italian National Pension Institute (INPS). An expert of welfare, he graduated from Bocconi University, got his PhD from University of Bologna and MPhil and MA from New York University. He taught Economics in several Italian universities. He participated for several years at the EU Social Protection Committee. In 2017-2019 he directed the Department for social policies of Rome, the capital and the most populous town of Italy.

Unlocking financing and innovation for social services

Presentation | Watch Recording

About this session

Demographic shifts and fiscal constraints are placing increasing pressure on the financing of social services. These challenges are compounded by fragmented financing mechanisms at the local level, where resources are drawn from multiple sources, each with varying levels of coordination and efficiency. In addition, regional disparities in budget allocation can hinder the equitable provision of social services within countries. Without a clear strategy to pool and allocate resources effectively, countries may struggle to meet the growing demand for services.

This session will examine innovative financing strategies designed to improve the efficiency of public spending and enhance the long-term sustainability of social services. It will also explore how governments balance different financing sources-such as central taxation, local taxes, insurance models, personal budgets, and co-payments-and how these mechanisms contribute to ensuring both equity and accessibility. Country experiences from France and Romania will be shared to highlight practical approaches and lessons learned.

Speakers

Speakers

  • Elena Glinskaya
    Lead Economist, Social Protection and Jobs, World Bank
  • Frédérique Poullard-Leprince
    Former Director for European and International relations and Cooperation of the National Family Benefit Fund (CNAF), France.
  • Representative from the Ministry of Labor
    Family, Youth and Social Solidarity in Romania

Moderator

  • Achim Daniel Schmillen
    Lead Economist and Program Leader for Human Development, World Bank.

About the webinar series: Strengthening social services at the local level - challenges, innovations, and lessons learned

Social services are a cornerstone of social protection systems in Europe and Central Asia (ECA), providing essential support to vulnerable populations. Poverty is multidimensional and requires interventions that go beyond cash assistance to ensure access to essential services, opportunities and inclusion. Social services are also a good vehicle for countries to respond to social trends such as ageing, migration, or other transitions. In the ECA region, social services are planned, financed, and delivered through a mix of public and private efforts, with decentralization allowing for tailored solutions at the local level. Financing primarily comes from public funds, with variations across countries, and private and third sector actors play a growing role in the provision. While these services are fundamental to the region's welfare states, key challenges persist in the region, including disparities in access, constrained financing, uneven quality, and workforce shortages.

In response to growing demand from countries, the World Bank is expanding its engagement in social services to build more comprehensive and resilient support systems. The Social Protection in Europe and Central Asia unit at the World Bank is organizing a series of BBL exchanges, bringing together experts, policymakers, and practitioners to share lessons learned and best practices for strengthening social services at the local level. The sessions will be held between March and May 2025, and will be organized around four main themes: (i) strategic planning of social services, driving equity and access for all; (ii) unlocking financing and innovation for social services; (iii) leveraging the provision of social services; and (iv) harnessing the power of human resources. This activity aims to contribute to the ongoing reforms and development of social services by means of learning about different experiences on planning, financing and delivering social services at the local level. The discussions will inform and support World Bank clients' ongoing efforts in the development of inclusive, equitable, and sustainable social services in ECA.