Share the integration – can social services bridge boundaries for integration?
Migration and social integration have the potential to strengthen our communities, but only when policies translate into coordinated services that people can access across institutions, territories and sectors.
Recent territorial experiences across Europe show that even well-designed interventions require a shared operational architecture to function effectively. Early identification of vulnerabilities, for example, only produces meaningful outcomes when roles are clear, information flows across services, and pathways of responsibility are defined from reception to long-term inclusion. Without this systemic coordination, even the best tools remain isolated efforts.
Across Europe, social services are facing a profound shift. Beyond responding to needs within their own remit, they are increasingly expected to bridge boundaries: align governance, connect pathways of support, and overcome fragmentation and silos to deliver person-centred and continuous assistance, especially in complex areas such as migration.
How can the Public Sector, in cooperation with the Private sector, become a true enabler of an integrated Welfare? Who is responsible for turning coordination from aspiration into practice?
Pier Luigi Verbo, Partner of KPMG Italy for the Public Sector, highlights that bridging boundaries requires more than cooperation; it requires intentional system design: speaking about integration, we are not simply referring to the inclusion of individuals into society, but to the integration of systems themselves. Public institutions must move from parallel action to shared architecture. This means capitalising on territorial experiences, defining common frameworks, and enabling structured coordination between health, social, reception and employment services. Without a clear governance model, fragmentation persists, even when intentions are aligned.
Recent experiences emerging from regional initiatives show that integration improves when institutions invest in shared methodologies, common assessment frameworks and inter-territorial exchange of practices.
Beatrice Valente Covino, Associate Partner for the Welfare Sector at KPMG Italy, highlights that overcoming silos also requires a cultural shift in how vulnerability and needs are interpreted: if services remain segmented, integration efforts will always be partial. A multidimensional perspective helps institutions move beyond sector-based responses and adopt a holistic view of individuals’ pathways. The challenge is building tools and processes that connect these dimensions without oversimplifying them.
Ultimately, shaping integration means designing public systems that are capable of collaboration by default. Social services can bridge boundaries, but only when governance, professional practices and enabling tools are aligned toward a common, person-centred vision.