The project, titled "Social Welfare District," aims to promote the adoption of a new model of local welfare based on the values of universality, subsidiarity, social responsibility, and shared value. It is a hybrid welfare model where the public sector, businesses, second-level organizations, and third-sector entities collaborate to address the specific needs of the community.
Innovation Summary
Innovation Overview
The Social Welfare District project in Padua represents a significant advancement in the way social services are delivered and coordinated within the community. Initiated in 2019 as part of the city’s designation as the European Volunteer Capital, the project emerged from a collaboration between the Centro Servizio Volontariato and Human Foundation. The core premise of the project is the integration of various readings of community vulnerabilities and resources, acknowledging that only by uniting these elements can the municipality effectively address emerging social needs, particularly in the wake of challenges highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the heart of this initiative is a sophisticated IT platform designed to facilitate data sharing and collaboration among different stakeholders, including the Municipality of Padua and various local organizations involved in social services. This platform connects multiple databases, encompassing both municipal and private sector resources, to create a centralized hub for social information. By consolidating disparate data sources, the platform enables social services to access a comprehensive overview of the community’s needs, ensuring that they can respond more quickly and effectively to those in need.
The innovative nature of this project lies not only in its technological infrastructure but also in its approach to fostering collaboration among various sectors. By leveraging technology to provide integrated readings of social dynamics, the project promotes a more coordinated and strategic response to social challenges. This centralized system allows for the extraction of aggregated and anonymized data, transforming it into a shared asset for all partners involved. Such data-driven insights are crucial for initiating co-planning efforts and developing innovative responses to address the evolving needs of the community.
Ultimately, the Social Welfare District project aims to create a more efficient, effective, and compassionate social service delivery system. By bridging the gap between public and private services and enabling deeper collaboration among local entities, the project aspires to build a resilient community that can better support its members, particularly those facing fragility and social vulnerability.
Innovation Description
What Makes Your Project Innovative?
The innovation involves a collaborative approach among public actors, businesses, and third-sector organizations to provide concrete responses to local needs. The project emphasizes a participatory design process, integrating public, corporate, and community welfare models to activate economies of scale, reduce waste, and streamline service demand and supply. The innovation introduces methodologies to increase competencies related to payment by results, enhance knowledge of integrated database use, and measure satisfaction levels.
Innovation Development
Collaborations & Partnerships
Partnerships are developed among public actors, businesses, and third-sector entities for implementation. Mechanisms are designed to ensure sustainability, including increasing competencies and knowledge
Users, Stakeholders & Beneficiaries
The target audience includes the community, citizens in various roles, families, employers, workers, and third-sector organizations. The project involves the community in the design, delivery, implementation, and evaluation phases, ensuring user-centricity. The organizational structure aims to incorporate diverse voices.
Innovation Reflections
Results, Outcomes & Impacts
The innovation aims to improve several aspects, including increased competencies related to payment by results, enhanced knowledge of integrated database use, improved service satisfaction, easier access to services, and identification of "missing middle" households. The project also seeks to build a model for collecting, analyzing, and processing economic and financial data related to public spending savings generated by SWD activities.
Replication
The project prepares for potential replications by creating a shared and accessible information framework. Evaluation criteria include competencies, database use, service satisfaction, accessibility, identification of target households, and economic data analysis.
Status:
- Evaluation - understanding whether the innovative initiative has delivered what was needed
Innovation provided by:
Date Published:
4 November 2024