Social services staff provide support for people in difficult life situations, suffering economic or family hardship, to improve their well-being and autonomy. They provide guidance and information on social rights, connecting people with the most appropriate specialised resources according to the circumstances in each part of the city. This video is based on a letter of thanks from a person who received help from one of the 39 social services centres around the city’s different neighbourhoods.

Staff with the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS) are actually being recognised with the city’s Medal of Honour in today’s full council meeting, for their work providing support for people during the Covid-19 crisis. Medals are also to be awarded to workers with Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the Federació Catalana de Salut Mental (for their work with people with mental disorders), the Xarxa dels Drets dels Infants (for their work with young children) and the Coordinadora Residències 5 + 1(for their work with the elderly).

Connecting with the community and group support

The daily work of the city’s social services centres is increasingly about connecting users with local community projects, strengthening social networks and boosting the autonomy and empowerment of citizens. These services also promote group work and meeting spaces where people with common problems can exchange experiences and generate links between them. Discover the stories of Joel, who now takes part at an allotment in his neighbourhood, and Laura, who is part of a group for overburdened family women.

Social services do not work alone. They coordinate with the city’s associations and drive programmes such as Làbora, providing support for people like Cynthia and help them get into work through guidance, training and labour intermediation with companies. They also respond to social emergencies in the city and other municipalities in the metropolitan area, around the clock, 365 days a year. In this video you can see what a day holds for the team of professionals from the Barcelona Social Emergency and Urgent Care Centre.

A series of videos have been published over recent weeks with stories about people helped by social services in Barcelona. The goal is to explain the work of the city’s social services, as well as the close and committed way of working used by the professionals behind the service.