The Forum on Responsive Social Services, held on 4 February 2026 in Brussels, brought together European policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and institutional representatives to reflect on how responsiveness can strengthen the quality, inclusiveness, and sustainability of social services across Europe.

It provided a space for in-depth dialogue between policy, research, and practice, focusing on how responsiveness can become an internalized, practice-oriented process that guides everyday work, ensuring a balance between available resources and the needs of the people served.

The day’s programme was structured around four thematic sessions, each addressing a crucial dimension of responsiveness in social services:
Responsiveness, Social Inclusion & Quality
– Examining how responsive practices contribute to greater inclusion and enhanced quality in social service delivery.
Responsiveness, Disability, Mental Health & Long-Term Care
– Exploring innovative approaches for ensuring that services effectively respond to the complex needs of individuals requiring long-term or specialised support.
Responsiveness, Democracy, Citizenship & Responsive Governance
– Analysing how responsiveness fosters transparency, accountability, and participatory decision-making in social governance.
Responsiveness, Crisis & Resilience
– Discussing how responsive systems can help services anticipate, adapt to, and recover from social or humanitarian crises.
Each session combined policy insights with concrete examples from practice and research, allowing participants to reflect on how to operationalise responsiveness within national and local service frameworks.

The participation of Dana Bachmann from the European Commission (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) underlined the strategic importance of embedding responsiveness in the implementation of the European Care Strategy. Her interventions reaffirmed the European Commission’s commitment to supporting social services that are inclusive, effective, and responsive to citizens’ needs, while also ensuring workforce development and sustainable investment in the sector.