Personal autonomy and community care will be the focus of the second Congress on Social Action in Catalonia - Inclusió.cat

The Chair in Social Services of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) and the Ministry of Work, Social Affairs and Families of the Government of Catalonia will be organising the second Inclusió.cat Social Action Congress at the UVic on 3 and 4 July. After the first edition, two years ago, which focused on integrated social and healthcare from the perspective of the social services, the theme at this event will be the promotion of personal autonomy and community care. 300 people have already registered for the congress, which will feature the presentation of 110 papers and posters.

Care in the person's home environment

The basis for the congress is the current context of Catalonia's ageing population, and the fact that the social services will need a community-based system that prioritises care for personal autonomy in the coming years, i.e. interventions in the person's home and community. Inclusió.cat is a benchmark within the challenge involved in transforming the current system, and a forum for all those involved in the Catalan Social Services System, as well as a space for creating and disseminating knowledge.

Current best practices in Catalonia and in other countries will come under the spotlight over two days, in order to identify the cornerstones that provide an understanding of the new person-centred paradigm, and the promotion of the individual's autonomy. The speakers include Adelina Comas-Herrera, a researcher at the Personal Social Services Research Unit of the London School of Economics, who will be responsible for the opening plenary session, and Xavier Marcet, CEO at Lead to Change. The round tables will focus on prevention and integrated care in the home and community environment; European models for promoting autonomy; and the direction for organisational models focusing on people.

Four areas of reflection

The oral communications and posters to be presented look at experiences and good practices, studies, research and projects assessed in the four content areas: prevention and care in the home and community environment; the organisational models and service platforms of the various institutions and agencies working in the Catalan social services system; primary and social healthcare, which must move towards integrated care; and technological solutions (digital, architectural, products, machinery, etc.) which could be useful in promoting people's autonomy.

Professionals working in the Catalan Social Services System, third sector social organisations, policymakers, researchers, academics and experts in this field will be participating in Inclusio.cat, as well as undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students in disciplines related to the social services.