Integrating Social Services for Vulnerable Groups: Bridging sectors for better service delivery

Across Europe all countries have vulnerable populations in need of multiple service supports. Although the needs of vulnerable families, children and youth with mental health issues, the homeless, and the frail elderly can vary widely, the challenges government face when delivering multiple social supports to these groups are often similar.

This book by the OECD looks at the ways in which governments design and deliver integrated social services to vulnerable groups and the opportunities and challenges this brings. The University of York Centre for Housing Policy contributed to Chapter 4 which focuses on homelessness and integrated social services.

For each vulnerable group, it asks questions like:

• How are social services being integrated?
• How are vulnerable groups defined in different countries and how do populations compare?
• Why integrate service for vulnerable groups?

It highlights pathways towards successful integration practices, and summarizes the evidence on good practice and promising common practices from across all of the vulnerable groups.

Chapter 5, 'Integrating care for the frail elderly', and Chapter 6, 'Towards better integration of social services' may be of particular interest to Housing LIN members, providing insight into the evidence for integration, approaches being adopted by OECD countries and lessons that can be learned.