1. Stakeholders join us at the helm Belgium Julien Van Geertsom
May 16th 2017

2. FPS for Social Integration
OUR OBJECTIVES:
Defend the right to social integration
Fight against all aspects of poverty and social exclusion
Act to ensure social cohesion and development in large cities
Ensure integration, prioritising social welfare
Set up continuous dialogue

3. FPS for Social Integration
KEY FIGURES
Number of employees: 175
Budget: € 1,2 billion
€ 900 million goes to minimum income
Belgium's at risk poverty rate: 15 %
Number of minimum income beneficiaries: / month
30 % is younger than 25 yo

4. Our key stakeholders 589 public centers for social welfare (PCSW)
Democratically elected
They decide whether a minimum income is granted
3 federations representing the PCSWs
Anti-poverty networks
Our minister and secretary of state, and their policy cells
Our employees

5. … and their role in our strategic process
Environmental analysis preceding the 3-yearly management cycle, that is used as input for the strategic plan
Employee satisfaction survey
Stakeholder satisfaction survey
Internal CAF-exercice
Context analysis, to identify changes in society
Various SWOT-exercices, both with employees and with the key stakeholders and networks

6. Forms of stakeholder consultation
Monthly consultative meetings with the federations representing the PCSWs
Bi-weekly consultative meetings with the policy cells of the minister and secretary of state
Semi-annual round of provincial meetings
Belgian Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion
Introductory workshops for PCSW employees, to improve work processes and relations between the FPS SI and the PCSWs

7. Co-design For every new project that affect our clients
User groups that are assembled by the partners involved
Objective:
Make sure the result meets their needs

8. Participation of the employees
Open dialogue - various participation platforms (both formal and informal)
Quarterly general personnel meetings
Bi-weekly service meetings
Bi-weekly staff meetings
Bi-weekly meetings of the management committee
“Captain’s table”
Suggestion box
Transparent communication and information
All information is made available through different channels (knowledge sharing platform, newsletters, meeting reports…)
Employees are stimulated to share and consult information
Decisions are preferably made by consensus
Staff and management committee

9. Experts by experience in poverty and social exclusion
Why ?
Deep rift that separates persons living in poverty from the rest of society
In different areas of society, usually in several areas at once (education, health, housing, income, social network…)
Persons who have experienced poverty are best placed to bridge this rift
What ?
“experts by experience in poverty and social exclusion within the federal public services” method
set in motion the changes that are necessary, from the perspective of persons living in poverty, at every level of the federal public services in order to safeguard the fundamental social rights of all citizens
Good practice at 7th Quality Conference (2013, Vilnius)

10. In conclusion Thanks to
the extensive participation from both the internal and external stakeholders, and
the concept of co-design
that are structurally embedded in our activities, we succeed in helping our partners to complete their missions so that citizens who slip through the gaps of the social safety net can still have a dignified existence

11. “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
Henry Ford

12. Thank You Julien Van Geertsom FPS for Social Integration
WTC II - Tower 2
Boulevard Roi Albert II 30
1000 Brussels