The project “Specialized personnel for quality social services in Eastern Europe” is implemented in a strategic partnership with organizations from Romania – Humanitarian Organization CONCORDIA (non-profit association), Austria - Kardinal Köning Haus Educational Centre of Jesuits and Caritas non-profit Ltd. (educational centre), and Bulgaria - CONCORDIA Bulgaria Foundation (non-profit foundation). The project is aimed at a target group of management employees of organizations providing social services: 15 beneficiaries are professionals active in NGOs (including PP and P2) or in public institutions providing social services from both Romania and Bulgaria (20 organizations), graduates of bachelor’s level university studies, having administration and management responsibilities. Other 150 people will be informed about advanced professional training opportunities (indirect beneficiaries). The project is justified in the context and evolution of the social field: Both in Romania and Bulgaria the social services are currently affected by processes as globalization, demographic and social shifts, migration, economic crisis and the dramatic impoverishment of the population. In this context, there’s crucial need to reconfigure the function system and to tackle the social services strategically and professionally, which can be realized by developing new specialist trainings for professionals, based on professional experience and case studies, in order to adapt the working methodologies and to acquire new competences.Until now, there are no offers for further advanced training in the social services in Romania and Bulgaria. Bringing the know-how from Austria and adapting it to the national context, in order to develop a training course for social services manager aligned with the specific needs of the working professionals is the primary innovation element.The project aims to enhance the capacity of the social services providers from Romania and Bulgaria and also to develop the advanced training capacities in the management of social services matched with the specific context of South-Eastern Europe for one of the most qualitative training providers from Austria.Therefore the project seeks to achieve following objectives: OS1: To develop an advanced training course for management level – social services manager – for professionals from public and NGO sector, adapted to the Eastern European context. OS2: To provide in the management of social services an advanced professional training for 15 social service professionals, NGOs and public authorities and institutions in Romania and Bulgaria. OS3: To promote quality professional training and to inform 150 people regarding the training offers.The main activities of the project are: O1/ A3 To develop the advanced training course for managers in social services (Intellectual output O1), transnational training activities for the project team (C1) as well as for the direct beneficiaries of the project – C2 si C3 (15 professionals from NGOs and public institutions that provide social services), transnational meetings (M1, M2, M3), dissemination activities – A7- (2 national conferences in Romania and Bulgaria; continuous dissemination of the information regarding the project activities).Main results expected by the project are: the main result is an intellectual one – “Training course for managers in social services”. In addition, the project consists of activities that support the development of the intellectual product and that lead to achieving following results:• 15 social service managers trained, thereof 10 certified (results of activity C2 and C3)• 20 organizations and institutions informed regarding training opportunities of their professionals (result of activities A2, E1, E2)• 150 people informed regarding training opportunities in the management of social services (result of activities A2, E1, E2)• 1 accredited course in Romania (result of activity A3)• 4 transnational learning sessions (activities C1, C2, C3)• 3 partner organizations with a developed organizational capacity as providers of professional training (activities A4, A5, C1, M1, M2, M3)• 2 national conferences with 100 participants (E1, E2)• 6 members of the project team participated in transnational training sessions (activity C1)• 90% of participants are satisfied with the social services manager course (activities A5, C3, E1, E2)• 100 printed copies of the training courseAll organizations involved are key actors in social services and the results contribute to the strategic development of their resources, being essential for their own development but also ensuring improved quality of social services

"In almost all European countries, social cohesion is being damaged or even destroyed by polarizing, mostly right-wing and right-wing populist forces. In a society of diversity, it is necessary to promote an awareness of social cohesion through suitable initiatives and to recognize it as a value. Cognitive, emotional, social and political education is challenged to take up this challenge.In the project ""Social cohesion in the context of migration: insights for the conception of adult education programs for diversity acceptance in social work"" approaches, methods and ways of European partners were learned and evaluated. Theory and practice of promoting cohesion were discussed. Concrete learning took place through visiting, getting to know and evaluating good-practice examples. A component of all meetings was the question of transfer to one's own context.... A total of 56 professionals (social pedagogues, certified pedagogues; managers, volunteers) participated in the face-to-face meetings. The group of professionals participating in the face-to-face meetings remained nearly constant throughout the entire duration of the learning partnership. In addition, about 50 ""input givers"" and affected persons/participants in measures took part in the five meetings. These were very helpful for the scientific classification and during the learning site changes to practical good-practice examples, especially to experience the impact of community education approaches in their practical effect. The project was able to successfully include good-practice projects of all partner organizations and thus, in addition to the scientific inputs and discussions, to present the views and experiences of European partners in a supportive way in order to learn from and with each other. The intended goals on a theoretical and practical level were fully achieved. Theoretical approaches and practical ways were learned and impulses for practice in the own context were given. Developed collegial friendships among participating persons: cause further networking and thus it is possible to receive mutual advice and concrete help in factual questions at any time. The European dimension: could be taken more into consideration: (Pre-) judgments were reduced: The idea of Europe was again strengthened. The fundamental importance of dialog among each other was confirmed in many ways in the project work."

"The goal of the project was to innovate the educational curriculum for vocational education of adults - namely managers in social services. The need to implement the project resulted from the growing demands for quality care for the elderly, taking into account demographic changes, population ageing and the specific needs of older people and persons with disabilities in Europe. The original curriculum was administered by the European Association for Directors and Providers of Long-Term Care Services for the Elderly (E.D.E.), which merged with the European Association of Housing and Services for the Ageing (EAHSA) during the project. This created a new umbrella organization called the European Ageing Network (EAN), which is responsible for the accreditations and certificates after successful completion of the new education program. The original curriculum was created in the 1990s and last revised in 2008. This current form was inflexible and did not reflect new trends. It contained 9 modules and the manager had to complete 600 hours of full-time education and 200 hours as e-learning or elaboration of a project plan. The goal of the project was met. A written curriculum was created in a modified structure that is modular, flexible, divides education into 3 levels and at the same time reflects the trends of the 21st century in the field of long-term care. As the modified educational program is offered again throughout Europe (EAN has members in 25 European countries), universal conditions for registration and obtaining the 1st level (BASIC) have been set. The ADVANCED and PROFESSIONAL levels are then ready to reflect more on national specifics and alternative forms of teaching - such as conferences, study trips, seminar work, elaboration of project plans, etc. According to the project application, the expected scope of the curriculum was 30 to 50 pages, however, the final number of pages is 80. This scope therefore exceeded the original expectations. The innovated curriculum was created in cooperation with 7 partners. The partners act either as umbrella organizations in the field of social services or as providers of vocational education of adult. The largest number of partners was from Austria, as it is here that most managers hold the ""original E.D.E. certificate."" The development of the curriculum took place in Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania also with the participation of local experts (directors of social services, professors, local government representatives), who participated in focus groups. Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the project had to be extended by 3 months, and the curriculum also took into account the aspect of distance learning, which was the only option in many sectors in 2020. The principle of training according to the new EAN educational curriculum is such that the provider of vocational education offering a course for managers in soc. submit their content (curriculum) to the EAN or the authorized national association and they will compare it with the EAN curriculum. If it is suitable both in terms of content and in terms of time allocation and teaching forms, such an educator is granted accreditation. At the end, the graduates of the education program will receive an internationally valid certificate proving their knowledge, experience and qualifications for the discharge of a leading position in social services facilities. The curriculum is freely available on the Internet in English in two variants: 1) The entire 80-page version - its concept is intended mainly for EAN and national associations (they can assess the quality of education if approved), and 2) a brief version in a promotional brochure format. At the end of the project, the partners organized dissemination conferences and workshops, at which the participants were acquainted with the curriculum itself, as well as with topics that are current and relevant for the social services sector and their management."

"Social Inclusion using the formats of educational work with adults should be Inclusion understood as a task for society as a whole, which is essential for the cohesion of a society. . Immigration and flight make plural societies even more diverse. People with different cultural backgrounds and different ideological-religious homeland live side by side. A part of the population perceives the social diversity as stressful and “strangers” as a threat and acts against it. Overall, European cohesion threatens to break completely due to uncertainties felt by large sections of society. In times of growing internal social polarization, exclusion of people, increasing religious-cultural intolerance and isolation, successive crises and their effects, undertakings to strengthen social cohesion are essential. The target group of formal and non-formal educational work is not exclusively, but essentially young adults. The project approach therefore focuses on educational formats that are effective across generations. Problems for modern society are current: erosion of milieus, growing heterogeneity, no longer a common religion; different ideas about what constitutes a ""good life"" (""values""); multilocal communities; Homogeneity claims lead to exclusion and weaken cohesion. Right-wing populism is becoming increasingly sustainable in all European countries. Educational institutions and initiatives are called upon to face the situation of increasing diversity in society and the associated challenges. Social inclusion is a concern that is pressing for societies and strengthens democracy. Populist parties and movements polarize and divide a society and thus endanger social cohesion. This is where the project comes in and would like to contribute to building bridges of understanding and encounter. In the context of uncertainty and concern, even fear of social change, felt by large parts of European society, the question of educational formats that help to promote cohesion demands the whole of European society. The formation of values in the form of informal and formal, cross-generational adult education with a focus on social inclusion is of great importance. Sixteen women and men from adult education and social education work will continuously participate in the partnership. These come from six countries and represent seven organizations. The project is carried out according to methods of project management according to DIN 69901. One focus of the project meetings will also be the participant observation. Adult education methods are also used at partner meetings. The aim of these meetings is to learn how to tackle the issue of cohesion in other contexts and how to create values in this specific context to promote cohesion. The goals include the implementation of the knowledge gained in one's own context. Overall, external specialists and people from potential target groups are involved at every meeting. There will be specific scientific and / or socio-political inputs from speakers from the respective host country in order to ensure practical experience through their expertise. At the higher organizational level, the results are presented and the consequences are considered. The documentation and evaluation that accompanies the project ensures that the results are continuously secured during the course of the project. The project management procedure according to DIN 69901 guarantees that the objectives are achieved and checked. The relationships that have been tried and tested in the partnership will continue even after the project has ended. Instead of the transnational meetings there will be an email exchange and a speaker - exchange for further training is one of the project results. The partners will involve other multipliers and those responsible at the meetings. The experiences and results of visits to good practice examples will be incorporated into the educational measures of the respective organizations. The partners will feed their experiences into their networks. Dissemination also takes place via social media and websites. EPALE, as a European multiplication platform, is used, just like local, national and European media are involved."