Integrated-rights practice and partnerships with judicial services: towards a socio-legal practice?

ABSTRACT

In Flanders, a renewed Decree on Local Social Policy (2018) introduced the concept of “Integrated-Rights Practice” (IRP). In brief, IRP aims to guarantee social rights by creating local interorganizational networks that foster generalist, pro-active, outreaching, strengths-based and participative social work interventions (Boost et al., 2018). In our paper, we will focus on an ongoing project in which IRP is applied to the specific field of socio-juridical practice in Antwerp. In this project, interorganizational collaboration between different social work services is expanded with partners from the field of justice (courts, lawyers, magistrates, …) in an effort to lower existing thresholds that impair access to justice and lead to non-take-up of rights. In order to evaluate this innovative practice, we use the CAIMeR-model developed by Blom and Morèn (2010). Guided by the theoretical structure of CAIMeR, we designed a methodological framework in which we combine structured direct observations and semi-structured interviews.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In the meantime, the project has been rechristened “Welzijnsonthaal Vlinderpaleis” (Welfare Reception – Palace of Justice Antwerp).

2 OCMW: Openbaar Centrum voor Maatschappelijk Welzijn; CAW: Centrum Algemeen Welzijnswerk; DMW: Dienst Maatschappelijk Werk.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Vlaamse Overheid.