Personalisation and a community-based approach to social services. Rights, community and experiences

Personalised care is often presented as a technical adjustment — tailoring the response to each person’s needs. It is not, however, confined to that level: it involves a review of the principles, roles and organisational structures that underpin social services, the basis of which is rooted in a human rights approach.

In line with this approach, those receiving care are no longer viewed as individuals with needs that the system meets, but are instead recognised as individuals with rights.

In the Basque Country, this line of thinking coincides with the process of amending the Social Services Act. The Foundations of the Assessment (February 2026) place the centrality of each individual, personalisation and the community-based approach at the heart of the shift in the model.

Within this framework, Behatuz — the Basque Observatory on Social Services — is proposing a day of reflection structured into three sections that progress from theory to practice: the theoretical framework from a human rights perspective; the systemic elements that enable personalisation and the community-based approach to reinforce one another — roles, the coordination of support and environments —; and specific examples illustrating how this approach is put into practice.

If you have any questions or queries, please email info@behatuz.eus or call 943 423 656.