Strengthening social services at the local level

Justina has worked extensively on Social Policy & Inclusion, developing national reforms in social policy, disability assessment, labor market inclusion, gender equality, social services and support for disadvantaged in Lithuania. She has expertise in national change management, impact assessment for strategic planning and sustainability as well as working with EU funds and program management. In the migration and humanitarian aid agenda, Justina worked on asylum policies, and social resilience, ensuring inclusive support systems. She is a PhD candidate, researching Lithuania’s demographic policy and labor market transformations.

Since 2007, Lola works in social policy on National plans and strategies for the prevention and fight against poverty, homelessness and for inclusion of Roma population. She leads the technical and financial collaboration with the Autonomous Communities in several programs and management of the information system for social services users. She is member of the Social Protection Committee in the European Commission. She has served as Secretary of the Social Inclusion Network, Secretary of the State Council of the Roma People and Patron of the Institute of Roma Culture.

Angelo Marano is a Director General at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, where he directed the Directorate against poverty and the Directorate for social security. Currently is an auditor at the Italian National Pension Institute (INPS). An expert of welfare, he graduated from Bocconi University, got his PhD from University of Bologna and MPhil and MA from New York University. He taught Economics in several Italian universities. He participated for several years at the EU Social Protection Committee. In 2017-2019 he directed the Department for social policies of Rome, the capital and the most populous town of Italy.

Miroslav is an associate professor at VID Specialized University in Norway and a social inclusion expert. He previously served as director of the Social Services Department at the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic. Since 2003, he has worked as a consultant, supervisor, and lecturer in areas such as individual support planning, social services quality, and deinstitutionalization. He has been involved in major reforms in Slovakia, especially the shift from institutional to community-based care. Miroslav is a frequent speaker at international events and author of publications on community services and human rights in social care.

She plays a central role in the implementation of World Bank-funded social protection projects, focusing on expanding and improving local social services. With over five years of experience in grant operations, she has worked closely with municipalities and local service providers to support the development of in-home care, day centers, and community-based services for the vulnerable. Her responsibilities include coordinating multi-sectors, managing implementation frameworks, and ensuring compliance with standards in monitoring and reporting. 

Gjurgjica brings over a decade of experience in social work, financial management, and refugee support programs. She is currently completing her Master’s in Social Work and Social Policy at the University “St. Cyril and Methodius” – Skopje.

Dr Simon Duffy has created several social innovations including Personal Budgets, Individual Service Funds and Basic Income Plus. He has also founded many organisations including Inclusion Glasgow, In Control, the Centre for Welfare Reform, the UBI Lab Network and the Neighbourhood Democracy Movement. In 2008 he was awarded the RSA’s Prince Albert Medal for his work on personal budgets and self-directed support and he has worked with civil society organisations and governments in many different countries. He has written many articles and books and most recent book, is co-authored with Wendy Perez, a woman with intellectual disabilities: Everyday Citizenship: seven keys to a life well lived. Simon lives in Sheffield in the North of England.

With extensive experience in the disability field, she focuses on deinstitutionalisation, inclusive living, and early childhood intervention, currently serving as facilitator of the EASPD Member Forum on Inclusive Living and organising the conference “Empowering families, enabling selfdetermination: rethinking support at every life stage” to be held in October 2025.

Thijs de Blok is the Director and CEO of Buurtzorg International, the advisory and licensing arm of the renowned Dutch community care organization, Buurtzorg Nederland. He also serves as the Director of Buurtwonen Netherlands, an initiative focused on creating small social housing communities for the elderly, promoting informal care, and enhancing autonomy.

Thijs joined Buurtzorg in 2017 following a successful career in the hospitality industry across various countries. He is a frequent public speaker on healthcare and organizational change, passionately advocating for the Buurtzorg model. He played a key role as a protagonist in the Harvard Business School case study on Buurtzorg, published in 2022.

Recently, Thijs participated in the Harvard Executive Education Module on Leadership for System Change, organized by the Schwab Foundation. He has lived in South Korea and Japan to support and promote Buurtzorg’s partnerships and projects in the region.

Currently, Thijs resides in the Netherlands and France with his wife and two dogs. In his free time, he enjoys road cycling, cooking, and traveling.

She graduated from the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, majoring in behavioral disorders and after years in education in various professional roles, she started working at the then social welfare center where she worked at the Department for Children, Youth and Family for seven years. 

After the Social Welfare Center, she worked as the head of the Service for the Protection of Children, Youth and Family at the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy for three years, during which she participated in the work of various working and advisory groups, and mostly dealt with the topics of child protection, especially unaccompanied children, victims of human trafficking, gender-based violence and domestic violence.

From April 1, 2024 at the Academy of Social Welfare.

She is a founding member of the Georgian Association of Social Workers and a pioneer in the development of academic social work education in Georgia. As an independent expert and Senior Technical Advisor with the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, Dr. Partskhaladze has supported governments in more than 30 countries to strengthen child protection systems and the social service workforce. She brings over 20 years of experience in child protection, with a background spanning policy, program development, and academia, including a decade of service with UNICEF Georgia and the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia in Geneva.