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Press Releases

Zadar Conference: Commissioner Thyssen urges to combat unemployment of people with disabilities

“Much more needs to be done to combat the unacceptably low levels of people with disabilities in our workforce”. Commissioner Marianne Thyssen addressed this message to the audience during the 2015 EASPD annual conference on Employment in Zadar (Croatia). The conference focused on the implementation of article 27 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities whilst showcasing best practices of inclusive employment and employment support from across Europe.
 

Employment for All awards. And the winner is...

The secret has been revealed in Zadar during the EASPD conference “Persons with Disabilities in Employment: Inclusion through Jobs - Making it Real”. The winners of the 2015 Emloyment for All awards are Elite Supported Employment Agency, Ltd (United Kingdom) as a best practice on providing support services in employment for persons with intellectual disabilities and La Fageda Fundació (Spain) for their work in facilitating quality job opportunities for individuals with mental disabilities.

Tackling long-term unemployment through support services: EASPD’s recommendations

The European Commission (EC) has recently launched a public consultation asking for recommendations to tackle long-term unemployment in Europe. In view of contributing as early as possible into the EC's work, the European Association of Service providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD) has developed a position paper presenting the key factors needed for support services to effectively contribute to tackling long-term unemployment in Europe; not only of persons with disabilities, but all disadvantaged groups. EASPD calls on the EC to implement measures which provide a win-win situation for both the employee and employer and recommends the “STAR” holistic approach.

Social Service Providers and MEPs: “Let’s cooperate on an Action Plan for Job Creation”

Social service providers and policy makers convened at the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels on 26 March to work together on how to put social investment back on the European Commission’s agenda. The breakfast session was organised by Social Services Europe, which brings together eight Europe-wide networks of not-for-profit social service providers. Through its membership, Social Services Europe represents over 100,000 organisations throughout Europe.
 

What is the EU doing to implement the UN CRPD? The service providers perspective

EASPD has sent a report to the United Nations (UN) compiling the views of service providers for persons with disabilities on the progress made towards ensuring compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by the European Union (EU). The report stresses the European Disability Strategy’s lack of recognition of the role played by support services, whilst calling on the EU to adopt a “social investment approach”, overhauling its perception of services as a “cost”.

EASPD releases new report: Europe 2020 and the European Semester, bringing well-being to all?

EASPD releases its latest report on the European Semester, calling for a change to the “growth at all costs” approach towards Social Investment and a growth focusing on the well-being of all citizens. The report proposes several recommendations to policy-makers on how they can integrate well-being into European and national public policy, in a manner that is both practical and sustainable. The report also includes national messages from EASPD’s membership to their respective governments and the European Commission; in particular within the framework of the European Semester.

European Observatory of Human Resources: Getting a Job in the social care sector: what trends exist in Europe?

What is the situation for the workforce in the health and care sectors? Are there common trends in Europe when it comes to wages, working conditions and staff training requirements? How have budgetary cuts impacted the sector? Following the establishment of the European Observatory of Human Resources in 2014, EASPD now presents the first results of the research conducted by Prof. Dr. Jane Lethbridge. It maps the training and educational requirements in the disability sector, the workforce situation and future job creation potential of the social service provision.
 

Employment Declaration: Opening the labour market to persons with disabilities

In December 2014, the EASPD Board endorsed the new Employment Declaration which results from several months of consultations with EASPD’s members and stakeholders, in particular the members of EASPD’s Standing Committee on Employment. The final document analyses the situation in Europe regarding the participation of persons with disabilities in the open labour market and highlights the need to shift the focus away from a disability perspective on to a skills and competences perspective.

The new European Parliament’s priorities for the disability sector

On such an important day such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, service providers from across Europe gathered together in the European Parliament and analysed with key European politicians the main issues regarding the disability sector: Mr. Juncker’s Jobs, Growth and Investment package; the need for a stronger social dimension in the European Semester, the mid-term review of the Europe 2020 strategy, the work plan 2015-2020 of the European Disability Strategy and progress made in Europe regarding the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), in particular the transition from institutional to community-based services.

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