Význam komunitního plánování sociálních služeb při řešení problému sociální exkluze na lokální úrovni
The Importance of the Process of Community Planning of Social Services in Addressing the Problem of Social Exclusion at the Local Level

Summary/Abstract: The Importance of the Process of Community Planning of Social Services in Addressing the Problem of Social Exclusion at the Local Level. The article aims to encourage broader recognition of the inclusive potential of community planning in social services (CPSS), which is currently becoming a focal point for an ever increasing number of councils and municipalities in the Czech Republic. The prime goal of this process is to tailor the supply, the demand and the quality of social services to suit the given locality. The theoretical reflection of CPSS suggests, however, that in connection with social exclusion it is desirable to accentuate the very process of CPSS. We shall first outline the concept of social exclusion as applied in this study, and the main features of the process of CPSS. We shall then discuss, at the theoretical level, possible benefits of the process of CPSS for eliminating social exclusion. It appears that this process creates institutional space for a direct and equal political participation of citizens in the life of the community. It can thus contribute to alleviating social exclusion of local inhabitants at least in three ways: (1) by encouraging interpersonal integration, (2) by facilitating advancement of the community’s social capital, (3) and by producing such a design of local social services that meets the needs of users and promotes full realisation of their citizenship rights. The analysis presented in the concluding part builds on data obtained from a case study of a municipality with several years’ experience of CPSS. We discuss the stumbling blocks to fully utilising the inclusive potential of CPSS, and the consequences of a failure to utilise this potential for a selected group of inhabitants who are at risk of social exclusion or already affected by it – specifically, mothers with children who found themselves in an unfavourable situation and sought accommodation in a shelter.

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