Building community from the public: The case of Superilles Socials

Abstract

The article analyses the role of the public in the construction of the community regarding social care. The initial hypothesis points out that the actions carried out from public policy can contribute to promoting the community's role in the social care, as well as the professionalization of care work. From a qualitative methodological strategy, it presents the case study carried out on the Superilles Socials, a pilot for a new management model of the Home Care Service of the Barcelona City Council. The results show the technical potential of the public state to promote the community care. The main factors for this purpose include space, identity, daily life and self-management.