Social innovation, defined broadly as “new ideas that simultaneously meet social needs more effectively than alternatives and create new social relationships or collaborations” (European Commission, 2011), has become a buzzword within the social policy discourse, despite  confusion and lack of consensus about what ‘social innovation’ actually means in the context of care. There has been considerable research conducted into the mapping of innovative practices (e.g. from new types of care services for specific target groups to new care arrangements and partnerships and new policy instruments), but much of the evidence on what works and what doesn’t has been confined to pilot studies and evaluations of interventions that are limited in their scope and reach. Evidence concerning innovations in care models and processes that have been successfully transferred, scaled up and/or mainstreamed into regional or national practice is scarce.
This thematic panel, therefore, seeks papers that contribute to the evidence base on national strategies and structural conditions implemented in different countries to ensure the sustainability of innovation in care. Innovation in care can refer either to new products/solutions or to new care processes and partnerships in the childcare and long-term care sectors. We welcome papers analyzing specific policies, papers that present case studies of innovations that have successfully been scaled up, or papers that are theoretical in nature. Papers are encouraged that critically reflect on the concept of social innovation itself, namely that address issues of definition, evaluation, or transferability, or the implications of social innovation in care on the relationship between the public, private and non-profit sectors.
Stream convenors
Katharine Schulmann, European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Vienna, Austria, schulmann@euro.centre.org
Gudrun Bauer, European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research, Berggasse, Vienna, Austria, bauer@euro.centre.org