THE SOCIALLY EXCLUDEDCHAPTER 3to participate in society. This seems to be especiallythe case for the long-term unemployed, people withdisabilities, the Roma and single parents.Access to social services: There is an evident needto develop the network of support and care servicesfor many of the different groups. In particular there isa strong emphasis on the need to develop supportin the community and reduce the dep<strong>end</strong>ence oninstitutional care, whether for people with disabilitiesor children. The need to provide more integrated andholistic services which address the range of people’sneeds is a frequent theme, notably in relation topeople with physical and intellectual disabilities,families and children, victims of domestic violence,the elderly, and the homeless.Access and affordability of health services: Inadequateaccess to health services, whether due to a lackof health insurance or the costs involved, emerges asan issue for several groups, notably the Roma, returnees/IDPs,people with intellectual disabilities, singleparents, the long-term unemployed, and the elderly.In addition more specific programmes are needed forgroups such as alcoholics and drug users.Access to education and training: Increasing participationand integration in normal schools is another issuethat cuts across several groups at risk. In particularit is an issue for the Roma, children with intellectualdisabilities (especially those living in institutions), andchildren with physical disabilities. The importance ofpre-school education for children from disadvantagedbackgrounds is another recurring theme. The need toincrease access for and participation by adults in lifelonglearning is another recurring educational theme,notably for the long-term unemployed, single parents,and older workers. Closely linked to this is the emphasison making access to and training in ICT more availableand affordable to several groups such as the Roma, returneesin remote areas, people with disabilities, singleparents, and the long-term unemployed.Access to employment: A common issue that occursfor many of the at-risk groups is increasing their accessto employment. Developing a more comprehensiveapproach including improving personalised training,ensuring social support services, creating moreaccess to public employment and to subsidised andsheltered employment is stressed. Groups includedhere are returnees, Roma, people with intellectualand physical disabilities, single parents, the longtermunemployed and unemployed youth. Ensuringequal access to jobs in the public sector is especiallyimportant for the Roma, Serb returnees, and peoplewith disabilities.Transportation: Improving access to transportationis a frequent issue as it is seen as a key factor in affectingpeople’s ability to access other basic services,particularly health and employment. This mainlyincludes returnees living in remote areas, people withphysical disabilities, and single parents.Access to housing and basic infrastructure: Theimportance of housing and basic infrastructurestands out for several groups. It ranges from the needto ensure decent quality housing and adequate basicinfrastructure, notably for the Roma and for manyreturnees, through the development of alternativesto institutional care for children and people with anintellectual disability, to developing social housing forgroups such as single parents, people with a disabilityand the homeless, including emergency shelters forvictims of domestic violence.Social supports: The importance of family and socialsupport networks is highlighted for most groups,where the role of NGOs, self-help groups, youth organisationsetc. are especially important.Area based strategies: Poverty and social exclusionare often concentrated in particular geographic areas,whether these are remote rural areas or urban slums.Thus, the need to develop comprehensive local developmentprogrammes for disadvantaged areasthat integrate and coordinate efforts across a rangeof policy domains, emerges as an issue affecting mostgroups. It is particularly important for Roma communitiesand for returnees living in remote areas.135
CHAPTER 3THE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED136