Making social services fit for the future: Guest lecture on strategic social planning in Thuringia by Tino Grübel, LIGA der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege in Thüringen e.V.

Demographic change as a challenge to be addressed

The focus was on the consequences of demographic change, safeguarding social infrastructure, and the future of education, support and care services – particularly in rural areas. It became clear that a sustainable social infrastructure does not develop of its own accord, but must be strategically planned and politically safeguarded if services are to continue to reach local people in the future.

From technical questions to career guidance

The discussion, which was particularly lively among the students, focused not only on technical aspects of social planning but also on specific career paths within the social services sector. The combination of substantive debate and career prospects demonstrated just how directly the topics discussed relate to the students’ personal and professional lives.

Lobbying and political advocacy

There was considerable interest in the question of how lobbying and political advocacy actually work in the social economy: How can current social issues be placed on the political agenda? How can practical experience be presented in such a way that it is taken on board by political decision-makers? And what role do welfare organisations, professionals and academic expertise play in this? The answers highlighted that effective advocacy is based on the interplay of specialist knowledge, practical experience and targeted political communication.

Why such practical insights are valuable

It is precisely this combination of specialist knowledge, practical experience, political communication and career guidance that makes such guest lectures particularly valuable. Students need not only theoretical concepts, but also direct insights into real-world fields of work, current challenges and career development opportunities.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tino Grübel and Christopher Bieniek – both of whom are alumni of our university and the Social Management degree programme respectively – for the open discussion and the valuable insights into social planning, social policy and advocacy in Thuringia.