Description
The project is about developing and implementing the “Participatory Model of Cooperation". It will be a professional and comprehensive system of cooperation with and inclusion of social non-governmental organisations and persons affected/endangered by social exclusion in social policy-making, through their active participation in public consultations - in line with the principles of subsidiarity, empowerment, respect for citizens' rights, subjectivity and human dignity. It will be implemented in partnership of WRZOS and Portuguese Network for Preventing Poverty, an organisation experienced in building mechanisms of cooperation between organisations and persons affected/endangered by exclusion. It is a nationwide project. Its recipients will be social NGOs and people affected/endangered by social exclusion. Members of public administration will also participate in the project. Model solutions will be implementable throughout the whole non-governmental sector and public policy-making.
Summary of project results
"People experiencing exclusion, and organisations who support them have insufficient competence to actively participate in shaping social policies at the regional and national level. The objective of the project was to develop and implement the Participatory Model of Cooperation - a system of cooperation and inclusion of organisations and people experiencing exclusion into public consultations on policies which concern them. Expert support was built for NGOs helping people experiencing or at risk of exclusion. Project participants learned about the methods and possibilities of getting involved in the development of social policies, and were introduced to good practices from abroad. The developed solutions can be used by NGOs, as well as by public institutions. The project included the development of the Participatory Model of Cooperation, which was implemented in 16 regions, 16 Regional Public Platforms were created and coordinated by 16 Regional Experts and Consultants on the Model. Their training was part of the Academy of Public Participation (two 3-day training sessions). 48 regional consultation meetings and 16 debates were held with people experiencing or at risk of exclusion, NGOs and representatives of administration (474 people). The Group of Public Experts was created to support implementation of the model, 10 stances and expert opinions were developed, as well as 15 monitoring reports on the legislative work concerning social policy. The project partner prepared an analysis of public participation of people experiencing poverty and/or social exclusion, a publicising seminar was organised (50 people), and the Participatory Model of Cooperation was published in an electronic form. The project's participants included over 400 organisations active in the area of social work, about 130 representatives of authorities and about 250 people experiencing or at risk of exclusion. The project was implemented in cooperation with EAPN Portugal, an organisation with experience in building mechanisms of cooperation between organisations and people experiencing exclusion. The partner shared their experience in involving people experiencing exclusion in the shaping of social policy"
Summary of bilateral results