Social innovation for social inclusion: integrated delivery of social and employment services. The case of the ERSISI project in Navarra

Abstract

The integration of social and employment services has been consolidated as one of the priorities for social innovation reform in European policies. Its purpose is to overcome the obstacles created by the institutional fragmentation of welfare systems and thus offer better responses to the growing complexity of social problems. The aim of this article is to contribute to knowledge regarding the integration of social and employment services in Spain based on the analysis of a pilot project carried out in Navarre between 2016 and 2019. To this end, a systematisation of the integrated care model is analyzed based on the evaluation of the project. Both achievements and areas for improvement are appraised with a view to extending the model throughout the community. From a social inclusion policy perspective, there has been progress in innovative aspects of service integration both at an organizational level and in the production of tools and access to resources. However, the results show that the design of active inclusion policies for groups with complex problems needs to be improved in order to achieve better outcomes in terms of employment. Given the type of social problems that these reforms address, the article stresses the need for continuity over time and long-term assessment.