Innovation against crisis: supported employment programs for socially excluded people

Abstract

A very strong impact over labor market is the first and main consequencein Spain of the economic crisis. Unemployment rate has grown up from 8.6%at the end of 2007 to 13.91% finishing 2008. In front of this worrying scenario, we need to apply innovative methodologies in the work to social inclusion. In this paper we analyze the results of a program managed by a NGO in Madrid incollaboration with the Regional Government and financed by the European Social Fund. They has make use of Supported Employment methodology largely applied with handicapped people, but adapted to the specific field of socialexclusion: homeless, immigrants, battered women, etc. At the end of their firstyear we analyze registered data, offering the positive impact over the life of excluded people after an external evaluation process using discussion groups, and focused interviews to clients, social workers, and human resources managers ofcompanies participating in the project. A reviewed social intervention model itis also suggested, after comparing this local experience with some others European good practices of SI working with social excluded groups that could beuseful in the context of public social policies design.