Presentation given by Alfonso Lara Montero, Policy Director at the European Social Network at the VODG Chief Executives Network Meeting - 21 June 2017

1. BREXIT
IMPACT ON
THE
WORKFORCE
& FUNDING
FOR SOCIAL
PROGRAMMES
VODG Chief Executives Network Meeting
21 June 2017
esn-eu.org
Alfonso Lara Montero, Policy Director
European Social Network

2. The context
Most recent publication
A study of the social services
workforce in Europe
• EU mobility
• Qualifications and Training
• Recruitment & Retention
• Workforce Planning &
Management
• Challenges & opportunities
§ Higher Education
§ Technology

3. The context
EU-UK relationship
UK opt-outs from EU social policy
• Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers
adopted on 9 December 1989 by all MS except The UK
§ Further developed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights that became
legally binding with the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009
• Social Policy Protocol of the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht
§ Between 1992 and 1997, ‘two-speed’ Europe in employment & industrial
relations
§ In 1997 the newly elected UK government terminated the ‘opt-out.’ A
revised ‘Social Chapter’ was incorporated in the 1997 Treaty of
Amsterdam
• Other opt-outs
§ Schengen
§ The Euro
§ Justice and Home affairs legislation

4. The context
What has the EU meant for disability rights?
• 1995
§ Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
§ Under DDA, businesses with fewer than 20 employees could discriminate on
grounds of disability
• 2000
§ Framework Directive for Equal Treatment in Employment and Occupation. The
directive did not provide protection for companies smaller than 20 people, hence
the UK had to remove this exemption from its law in 2004
• 2004
§ Regulation on the Co-ordination of Social Security Systems 2004, people from
the UK can live in other EU countries and still receive benefits, such as
Personal Independence Payments
• 2008
§ Discrimination against employees due to their relationship to a disabled person
became unlawful. Sharon Coleman case.
• 2015
§ Proposal for European Accessibility Act to set up requirements for products and
services (cash machines, banking services & TV equipment).

5. The context
What have EU funds meant for local councils?
• Councils can access European Structural and Investment Funds
(ESIF) incl. European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) and
European Social Funds (ESF), managed by UK Government
• Councils can access other funds
§ Horizon 2020 – research and innovation
§ Erasmus+ – education
§ Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises
§ Range of loan products mostly suited to large scale projects
§ EaSI –social innovation
• During 2014-2020, the ESF and ERDF are investing around €11
billion across the UK. The ESF share is €4.9 billion

6. The context
What have EU funds meant for local councils?
Figures do not
include the
Youth
Employment
Initiative &
EARDF
allocations
1. Department
for Innovation,
Business &
Skills, 2014

7. The context
Regional & LAs’ concerns
• Welsh Government
§ “There is a need for the UK Government (in partnership with the devolved
Governments) to develop a new Regional Development Policy that provides a
clear framework for closing the gap between wealthier parts of the UK and
underperforming areas.”
• Welsh Local Authorities
§ “We’ve heard people say they’re going to make sure that they fill the gap and we
don’t lose any money. What’s that going to look like? You cannot overestimate the
importance of that structural funding to Wales over the last 10 years.”
• LGA (England)
§ “England has been allocated £5.3bn in EU regeneration funding by 2020, they
urge the next Government to work with local government to develop a fully-funded
and locally-driven successor scheme for EU funding which gives local areas full
control over spending.”

8. Brexit impact I
The social services workforce
• Referendum: Focus on immigration
• Citizens from other EU countries are an
important part of the UK workforce & economy
§ One in 15 workers
§ In 2013-2014 they paid £2.5bn more in IT & NI than
they received in tax credits or child benefits
§ OBR estimates that their labour contribution helps
grow the economy by an additional 0.6% a year

9. Brexit impact I:
The social services workforce
• Studies from Ireland & the UK indicate that foreign-
qualified social workers constitute up to 20% of the
workforce
• Social care relies even more on non-UK nationals to
keep services working
• Nearly one in five care workers were born outside of the
UK, 28% in the EU
• 2011-2015: Sharp increase in number of migrant workers
in the social care sector; 40% of EU workers arrived
during this period

10. EU social services workforce
EU workers contribution
• Migrant workers play a key role in the social services
workforce in the UK
• Older people, and those with disabilities or mental
health problems, would not be receiving the same
level of service without these professionals from the
rest of Europe
• Economic migrants cannot be stealing jobs in a
sector facing a much-publicised recruitment crisis

11. Brexit impact II:
Social programmes funding
• Financial support for UK disabled people from ESIF will be
jeopardised
• Uncertainty of partnership programmes between UK and EU staff
• ESF funds employment and social services-related projects
• 19% of ESF funding has been spent on disability programmes since
2007 (Leeds University)
• ‘Where will the funding for these programmes come from in the
future?’
• There has not been yet an assessment of EU grant funding
availability and the impact of its withdrawal on people with disabilities
• As a potential consequence, it will be even harder to close the
disability and employment gap

12. What would be the impact of leaving the EU
for UK social services?
• Recruitment into the sector could become even harder
• A career in social services could be even less attractive than it
is now, with fewer jobs in cash-stripped services
• With UK not bound by EU laws, low paid workers may be
exposed to even poorer working conditions
• UK’s social policy sector may face policy isolation, with fewer
dedicated resources or opportunities to research, learn and
share
• It is unclear where the funding for employment and social
programmes currently covered by ESIF may come from