Integrated Broad Reception - Reach Out!

What are Integrated Broad Reception (GBO) and outreach work?

Flanders has an extensive range of assistance and services. These include the core partners belonging to the Integrated Broad Reception (GBO): OCMW, CAW and DMW.

The Local Social Policy Decree (Department of Welfare, Public Health and Family, 2018) mandates the development of a GBO in all Flemish cities and municipalities. This should:

• ensure increased accessibility to front-line services;
• counteract under-protection.

Outreach work is one of the 7 operating principles in the GBO whereby vulnerable target groups who are not yet reached are actively sought out and guided to gain their rights.

GBO does not reach vulnerable groups sufficiently

Despite many efforts and innovative practices, these services do not yet sufficiently reach the most vulnerable populations in our society. As a result, individuals and families do not receive the support they are entitled to. The corona crisis has made this even more acute. As a result, the need arises to examine exactly which target group is most affected by this.

Previous research on outreach work

In previous research (PWO Integrated Broad Reception, 2020), practitioners indicate that outreach work is one of the most necessary and at the same time most difficult operating principles to achieve, and certainly at the level of a partnership.

Cities and municipalities hereby engage specific target groups in their frontline zones. This is done in cooperation with the GBO core partners, and possibly other zero and first-line organizations are also involved.

It is striking that a whole number of cities and municipalities focus on families with (young) children and/or a child on the way. Reaching these families means collaborating on an inclusive and sustainable society with greater well-being now and in the future for both parents and children.

Challenge of embedding outreach work in GBO

Outreach work is not a new methodology. A great deal of study and development work has already been done in this area, resulting in fascinating practices, literature and training courses.

The challenge within GBO is to structurally embed outreach work in the GBO partnership and, moreover, in a collaboration with other zero and first-line partners that does reach families.

Promote functioning of GBO

Hooking this project into a target group-oriented project of one or more ELZ :

• promotes the realization of the goals of GBO;
• leads to the connection of care (mainly embodied by the ELZ) and well-being (mainly embodied by GBO).

The fact of the ELZ also facilitates the cooperation with primary and secondary care referred to.

In the case of families with (young) children and/or a child on the way, we think of partners with expertise in that area such as Houses of the Child, community centers, LOP, bridge figures, CLB, etc.

Since a GBO operation must combat underprotection, it is necessary to develop an outreach operation that has a positive impact on this.

Measurement impact GBO

Together with practitioners, we measure the impact of GBO through design research. This will directly test relevance and workability in practice. The project connects to the effective need of the end user as we involve both experts by experience, users and professionals from both lines.

Possible valorizations

Specific to design research is that not only the research question is in development throughout the research process, but also the final product is not predetermined. We therefore see as 'possible' valorizations:

• a training and intervision program for practitioners involved in outreach work;
• an impact sheet and an implementation framework focusing on preconditions;
• tools to improve collaboration with non-GBO partners.

Target groups research project

The targeted audiences are:

• social workers within GBO;
• GBO networks;
• ELZ and local boards;
• zero line organizations;
• families with (young) children and/or a child on the way.