When Luc Kupers moved from Hasselt to Gent to be the Head of Social Services, challenges were not entirely new to him. Municipality of Gent with 240.000 inhabitants is about 3 times bigger than Hasselt, but with 20 years of experience in social policy and management Luc is prepared for such a challenge. The two Belgian municipalities differ quite a bit, not least due to the socio-economic background of the population; Hasselt with quite a wealthy population and Gent being a industrialised place with lower average income.

As chair of the management team of social services in Gent, Luc also faces an increase in staff from 600 in Hasselt to 1800 in Gent. Time is never enough to deal with all management issues as well as visits to the decentralized services in 25 locations across Gent. Add to this his commitments as chair of the Board of the Flemish Association of Social Directors OCMW, an ESN member, and one could often find Luc working till 9 pm. Getting things done, motivating people to work with drive and enthusiasm to deliver good services is a very exciting experience for me - says the energetic Luc.

Social services in Gent are organized in two pillars. The first pillar includes mainstream social services offering income support, social activation, overindebtedness, housing, legal advice, and support to asylum seekers. The second pillar of services in Gent comprises of services for the elderly such as nursing homes, day and service centres, projects to support people to remain at their home as long as possible (i.e. visiting teams to combat loneliness and providing ergo-therapy at home).

Currently Gent is prioritizing projects such as care renewal with the perspective of long-term care in mind, to ensure that adequate services are provided in a changing society. People always expect better and more services - Luc explains. In his daily job this translates into streamlining the management and leadership development. Moreover, as a result of the financial crisis there is a growing demand for services and analysis is being carried out to understand the social impact and arrange delivery of services accordingly, Luc explains.

Despite all the work needed, he remains driven and optimistic. The satisfaction of delivering tailor made services and valueing both carers and clients is priceless - Luc says. Social work, according to him, is so attractive and precious at the same time because it deals with the most important issue of offering support through interpersonal relationships whilst reinforcing human dignity as the cornerstone of the care process. 

The true level of development in a society is measured by the efforts done for the poor, the weaker, the elderly and the most vulnerable groups that face challenges of integration into the labour maker and society - Luc says.

Luc is engaged with the European Social Network because he believes strongly in raising the profile of social work and social policy at the EU level. ESN can facilitate this process by enabling the exchange of good practice across Europe. Through networking we hope to share experiences and inspire one-another about how to improve the quality of services - Luc says.

To young people seeking a career in social work and management of services, Luc has a clear message: Take your time to listen, study and learn in different jobs and opportunities before you throw yourselves into management jobs. He himself found his early work in the national government in Belgium as finance inspector and ministerial cabinet advisor an extremely valuable experience.