Kirsi Konola of KVPS in Finland and EASPD explains the impact of COVID-19 on services for people with disabilities and the different strategies being adopted in Europe.

1. Covid 19 and it’s effects on services for
people with disabilities
SKILLS II Webinar
7.5.2020
Kirsi Konola

2. Situation in Europe
• Different countries have been effected in very different ways
• Same goes for the services of people with disabilities
• Human rights Comissioner; People with disabilities must not be left
behind in this crisis
• https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/persons-with-disabilities-must-
not-be-left-behind-in-the-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic

3. EASPD and Covid 19
➢Weekly webinars every Wednesday from 14.00 to 15.00 addressing all topics and
issues of service provision for persons with disabilities:
➢Facebook Group
➢Helpdesk for EASPD members
Contact with EU policy makers
➢All of EASPD’s actions aim at addressing the 3 roles of the European Union:
Coordination, Legislation and Funding
➢EASPD has identified a number of priorities the EU should consider in response to
COVID-19 regarding threat to Social Service provision.
➢Dialogue is ongoing between the EASPD and the EU institutions. Letters were sent to:
• the President of the European Commission and the President to the Council of the European
Union on behalf of EASPD and EAN (European Ageing Network)
• the President of the European Commission and the President to the Council of the European
Union on behalf of EASPD, EDF and jointly co-signed by 45 MEPs
• EASPD is currently supporting the European Commission to organise an EU summit to discuss
about the most pressing issues for the social sector

4. EASPD and Covid 19
Awareness raising
➢EASPD dedicated page on COVID-19
➢Collection of data from grassroots organisations
➢A big research on the impact of the COVID-19 on the sector will be
launched in the coming weeks addressing issues for staff, organisations
and service delivery.
➢Also excellent source of information
➢https://ltccovid.org/

5. Situation on service provision
With the growing spread of the coronavirus, many services have been put
on hold, leading to severe funding and staffing difficulties. It is only a matter
of time before the challenges met by social service providers will become
irreversible for many.
The spread of COVID-19 will create major challenges for social service provision
in several ways. The fact that many, if not all countries, require specific staffing
levels in social care will create additional pressure on a sector that is already
suffering from shortages of staff, and the supply of service provision will be
reduced to the point that many services will simply not be able to run”.
“Many social providers are running their services without any funding guarantees
from public authorities. Because human lives are at stake! But this is not
sustainable on the long-run: wages need to be paid and equipment needs to be
bought. Politicians and public authorities must back-up their promises with action
and guarantee funding for social services, immediately!”

6. Challenges
1. Staffing Challenges, leading to eventual closure/freezing of formal care services -
Managing continuous payment of salaries to current and possible additional staff and
experienced/skilled volunteers (those working and those unable to work – sick/in
quarantine) and ensuring safe working conditions and labour conditions are met.
2. Shortages of Protective Equipment and Medicine in Care Services - Many care
workers lacking key protective equipment or having to buy their own equipment (masks,
gloves, etc); leading to unsafe working practices. - Difficulties in procuring crucial
medicine for people in care or vulnerable situations.
3. Lack of guidance to service providers on how to deal with emergency crisis a
difficulties in coordination of expertise and response to specific challenges in
social care and support - Risk of leaving specificities of social care and support
behind, leading to social emergency, in particular for vulnerable persons (older persons,
persons with disabilities, etc). - (Risk of) lack of coordination between national
authorities, regional and local authorities and the many small(er) private providers of
care and support. - Lack of guidance, expertise and knowhow for service providers in
dealing with emergency/precarious situations.
4. Particular challenges in countries/areas with weaker social protection systems.
5. Importance of facilitating access to health and information for persons with
disabilities and elderly people, due to lack of knowledge in responding to needs of
specific types of disabilities (for instance, down syndrome, alzheimer, etc.)

7. Proposed actions for EU
1. Flexibility in Stability and Growth & State Aid, used to cover costs linked to
wages and running costs of social care and supportservice provision (and
other elements).
2. Corona Response Investment Initiative should include targeting of
measures dedicated to ensure the continuous (and safe) provision of
social care and support provision across Europe, in particular regarding
protective equipment and medicine in social care and support and
ensuring access to health for persons with disabilities and older persons
(for instance: accessibility, reasonable accommodation, easy-to-read, etc).
3. Access to EU funds should be facilitated and less burdensome,
including/especially unused EU funds to date.
4. Creation of knowledge centre providing specific expertise, exchange of
knowhow and professionals (trained experts in emergency responses,
etc).

8. 5.Creation of Exchange Platform for models of good practice regarding how
to support persons with specific support needs and elderly, how to support
professionals, how to ensure continuity of the service, how to facilitate
exchange of management and coordination procedures, how to ensure
accessibility to health services and information for all (easy-to-read,
accessibility, trained expertise, etc).
6. Continuous engagement with European Organisations representing social
service providers and user organisations.
The European Union has recently launched the European Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative, which
aims to unblock €37 billion of unused EU funds to help Member States respond to the crisis. On this initiative, Mr
Luk Zelderloo adds “this initiative does not even refer to the social crisis and brings zero guarantees for social
service providers, as it does for farmers and others. This is yet another missed opportunity for the EU to focus
on the social, not just the economic! What we need now is clear guidance from the Commission on how Member
States should use these EU funds to guarantee funding for care and support provision.”

9. Concerns –the way forward
• EU is directing lot of money to help the recovery –howevere non of this is directed to
social sector → lobbying needed
• Major cuts made in the sector –how to ensure that this money is coming back to the
sector. For example, day time activities are closed, how to make sure that there will be
money again to reopen
• No guidance what happens when restrictions are lifted
• Sector has been very innovative in creating new services -how to make sure these are
not there for good without people wanting them or without payments
“Development of social services so that they can reflect our rapidly digitalizing societies.
Looking to the future, access to technology and digital connectivity, by both service
providers and users, as well as the need to train staff in new technologies remain key
challenges. As the European Commission looks to update its Skills Agenda for
Europe this year, it is crucial that it recognizes the digital training needs of the
sector and supports service providers to equip their workforce with the skills they need
to deliver human rights based services for our digitalized societies”

10. Especially relevant for SDS:
• Protective schme has become the main point –how to ensure human
rights and peoples right to choose and make decisions?

11. Thanks!