Abstract
This article presents an interinstitutional network supporting older people in Portugal and a policy document that institutionalized this type of interinstitutional practices. The data are part of a large corpus collected in the course of interdisciplinary research: “Aging, poverty and social exclusion: an interdisciplinary study on innovative support services.” (https://apseclunl.wordpress.com/). The documentation of good practices in intervention with older people at risk of exclusion were the aim of the research project. The data collected incudes: interviews, observation and recordings of inter-institutional meetings. In the light of the relevant literature, the study discusses the ethnographic account in relation to relevant policy documents (“Rede Social” Interinstitutional Network Program RCM no. 197/97, of 18 November). Describing the main aspects of the intervention strategies with the older population, the article documents the value of these experiences and the approach in policies for the democratization of services and the inclusion of citizens participating in decision making about delivery of services and the promotion of inclusive societies.
Highlights
From Informal Networking to “Rede Social” (Interinstitutional Network)The context of the dictatorship in which Portugal lived for about half a century influenced the existence of policies of social intervention by the RASP – Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 5(2) 115 state and by the citizens, restrained in the expression of their citizenship
We provide some background information on how this type of inter-institutional intervention practices came about and their diffusion in Portugal; we will present a policy document: “Rede Social” (Interinstitutional Network) program RCM no. 197/97, of 18 November
The report described its difficulties and vulnerabilities, denouncing a deficit in the provision of services, due to the increased number of municipalities participating in the Rede Social programme (Interinstitutional Network), the absence of regulations to implement RCM no. 197/97 and of the nonexistence of formal and publicly visible interministerial liking
Summary
The context of the dictatorship in which Portugal lived for about half a century influenced the existence of policies of social intervention by the RASP – Research on Ageing and Social Policy, 5(2) 115 state and by the citizens, restrained in the expression of their citizenship. In this period, situations of social vulnerability were alleviated formally through institutions of the Catholic Church, Misericordias, and other private institutions of social solidarity (using a charity approach), and informally through familiar and communitarian solidarity. Methodologies of cultural intervention and education were developed
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