group foto web2
First project meeting in Amsterdam 15.1.2013

 

 

De Regenboog Groep

 

The Rainbow Group (RG) is an Amsterdam-based NGO committed to people with social problems, such as homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and psychiatric disorders. The organisation provides low-threshold health and social services, such as day centres , psychosocial support, drug consumption rooms and needle exchange programmes. Furthermore, RG provides social support through buddy projects.

 The main aim of RG is to prevent isolation and stimulate participation of marginalised groups in society.

 Since 2007, RG has implemented a wide range of work and reintegration programmes. RG is the main contractor of the largest work stimulation programme in Amsterdam and coordinates the project, in which more than 100 projects are united, all available for those who live in the margins of society. RG involves its target groups in the delivery of low-threshold services in the Drop-In Centres. Every year, RG succeeds to integrate about 200 people in various work and activation programmes. Work and (re)integration is an important part of the activities of RG: it contributes to empowering the target group, to structuring their days and to enabling a better grip on their life. RG acts as mediator between the labour market and those living in the margins of society.

 RG employs more than 150 professionals and works with 650 volunteers. The organisation runs 9 drop-in centres, 4 drug consumption rooms, and 2 needle exchange programmes, where more than 97.000 syringes have been exchanged in 2010. RG has a low-threshold approach, hands on mentality and a lot of experiences in harm reduction and involving target groups at all stages of service delivery and decision-making.

 

 

APDES

 

APDES (Piaget Agency for Development) is a non-profit association, founded in 2004 to promote integrated development. APDES works with people and communities in vulnerable situations with the aim of improving access to health, to employment and education, empowering people and reinforcing social cohesion. APDES is particularly suited to work with unemployed people, prisoners, drug users and sex workers, among others, developing activities concerning employment, social integration and civic participation. Inspired by the human rights foundational ideals, APDES promotes health through harm reduction strategies and the improvement of healthy lifestyles in different social contexts, such as schools, local communities and prisons. APDES also aims to strengthen active citizenship and community participation, through the enhancement of citizens’ power to exercise their rights and responsibilities. APDES has supported the establishment of CASO - the first association of drug users in Portugal - and provides assistance for the development of its peer support activities and political expression. APDES has extensive experience in organizing training courses for vulnerable and low-skilled public in specific areas: peer education, employability, self-employment.

 APDES has 39 employees from areas as wide as Psychology, Sociology, Social Service, Anthropology, Nursing, Biology, Economics and Management.

 

 

Sdružení Podané Ruce

 

SPR is a non-profit non-governmental organisation founded in 1991 in Brno, Czech Republic, providing a network of complex services to assist people at any stage of their drugs problem or, alternatively, to prevent the problem from happening.

The main goals are:

  • to provide high-quality services at reasonable cost in the prevention and treatment of addictive behaviour, including responses for children and young people, post- penitentiary programmes, programmes to encourage the development of ethnic groups, and other services in accordance with the direction followed by the centres of SPR.
  • to encourage and initiate dialogue, client – service, general public – government, providing high quality and accurate information on areas of interest to Sdružení Podané ruce.
  • effective participation in the search for new responses and appropriate services. Promote, initiate and develop cooperation with local communities, with the active support of continuous research and a professional forum.

The main activities

  • outreach programmes
  • drop-in centres
  • programmes of general and selective primary prevention
  • work in clubs with children under 15 years
  • the website www.extc.cz – on-line counselling
  • outreach programmes in Brno and Olomouc
  • counselling programmes for drug users in the drug scene
  • psychiatric out-patient clinic
  • psychotherapeutic out-patient clinic
  • therapeutic community
  • drug services in prisons
  • social integration agency
  • occupational rehabilitation
  • training centre
 

Social Firms UK

 

Social Firms UK’s vision is that everyone should have the opportunity to be employed. It believes in the role of job creation for people otherwise excluded from the labour market through enterprise and the importance of employment in enabling people to (re)integrate into society. Social Firms primary purpose is to strengthen and grow the Social Firm and work integration social enterprise sector across the UK in order that more disabled and severely disadvantaged people can gain employment, re-integrate and play their full part in society.

Social Firms UK’s strategic priorities are to:

  • Promote the values and increase the level of understanding around Social Firms and work integration social enterprises
  • Facilitate the start up, development and growth of new Social Firms and work integration social enterprises and strengthen those already in existence
  • Serve and grow the membership effectively and efficiently, determining and meeting their needs
  • Lead on R&D initiatives to drive development, production and promotion of new and existing resources

 Social Firms UK was established in 1999. It now has 7 employees, of which 4 work part-time, and over 300 members throughout the country, comprising Social Firms, work integration social enterprises and other organisations that have an interest in the sector. In consultation with its members, it has defined the values of the Social Firm sector, as Enterprise, Employment and Empowerment.

 We have developed a wide range of technical resources, which are of practical use to social firms and work integration social enterprises. They can be found on our website: http://www.socialfirmsuk.co.uk/resources/library

 

 

Contact Netz

 

The Swiss network Contact Netz is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to prevent drug addiction and to help and support youth and their families on this issue. Contact Netz coordinates six centres, which work in drug prevention, counselling and rehabilitation. To coordinate the centres, Contact Netz maintains a main office and a research and development department. Contact Netz consists of a foundation board, whose members are sent by the municipalities of the city and the canton of Bern, professionals assigned to the project development and staff members. A management team supervises the work of the different regional centres.

 The organisation runs 6 counselling offices, 2 safe injection rooms and 2 consumption rooms, 2 locations for needle exchange, 4 substitution centres (methadone, buprenorphine and heroin), 3 habitation programmes, 1 education programme, 1 nightlife and sensitisation project and 8 working programmes.

Contact Netz offers drug addicts (mostly substitution patients) working places in the fields of wood and textile processing, handcrafts, constructing and selling. These places provide a daily routine and chances for integration into the job market.

 Contact Netz also runs several projects and operates primarily in the Canton Berne in Switzerland and counts 220 professional employees in four regional centres: Bern, Biel, Thun and Burgdorf.

 

 

Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação

 

Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (SPI) is a knowledge management oriented company with the mission to manage projects that foster innovation and promote international opportunities. SPI provides services in 3 areas: Training, Consulting and R&D. SPI has a permanent staff of nearly 50 people in 8 offices worldwide. SPI is accredited by the Portuguese Directorate General on Employment DGERT with recognized capacity to conduct a range of training activities. SPI has experience in using different training methodologies for various target groups. It applies innovative pedagogical approaches, including e-Learning. SPI has experience in developing training programmes, identifying/selecting training resources, developing didactic materials, implementing, supervising and evaluating training courses (including Grundtvig In-Service) and assessing the impact of training programmes. SPI has an excellent track-record of participation in European projects.

SPI will give advice on all aspects of project implementation and is in charge to coordinate the training validation and the Grundtvig In Service Training Course.

 


 

 

 

 

Activities

Online Toolbox

The toolbox will provide social service providers, potential social entrepreneurs and local municipalities with an overview of opportunities and instruments how to develop meaningful and sustainable work programmes for marginalised and vulnerable groups. 

  • workplan toolbox development
  • draft version toolbox
  • national trails

Final toolbox files:

  • success factors for the implementation of participation and work programs
  • practical guide for implementation
  • resource overview

Read more: Toolbox

Best Practice collection

The Best Practice Collection will provide , social service providers, potential social entrepreneurs, and local municipalities with best practice examples and ideas for the development and the implementation of sustainable participation- and (re)integration programmes. 

  • Results desktop research
  • Online questionnaire for expert consultations
  • list of indicators to rank practice examples
  • template for best practise descriptions
  • a collection of best practise examples

Read more: Toolbox / Best Practice collection

 

Evaluation

The evaluation will be both quantitative (questionnaires, surveys) and qualitative (in-depth interviews, logical frameworks matrixes). It examines both process and outcome of the vertical and horizontal work packages of the project

The three main research questions of the project evaluation are:

  • Did the INWORK project result in the realization of the envisaged actions, results and objectives?
  • Did the process of development and implementation go well?
  • Did the target group - marginalized and vulnerable people - get involved in work and (re)integration programmes?

> Evaluation report

Glossary and Resources

Events

European Conference 10-12 November 2014, Amsterdam

European Conference 'Work Integration and Social Entrepreneurship – Make It Work!' 10-12 November 2014, Amsterdam

Marginalised and vulnerable groups, such as drug users, homeless people, people with psychiatric problems or (ex) offenders have a large distance to the labour market in most European countries. Their educational level is often low, they have little opportunities to participate in schooling and employment and there are only few initiatives that increase or improve the participation of these groups in the paid or unpaid labour market. The current economical crisis and the increasing unemployment affects all parts of society, but has surely a devastating impact on these groups.

 

 

Third project meeting

The third project meeting took place in Brno 29-3.1.2014
See here the presentations of the meeting...

Second project meeting

The second project meeting took place in Porto, 27-29.5.2013
See here the presentations of the meeting...

First project meeting

The first project meeting took place 14/15 January 2013 in Amsterdam.
See here the presentations of the meeting...