Abstract
This paper studies, from the point of view of local politicians, the
governance of social services in different municipalities and County
Councils in Catalonia. The political dimension of local social services
has rarely been studied and this article contributes to the
understanding of which actors and what kind of relations are developed
during the policy process. From a qualitative approach, the study is
based on 17 in-depth interviews with local politicians, as well as two
focus groups with managers and front-line social workers. The results
reveal that local politicians do not have a long-term and strategic
perspective, and that they feel more comfortable dealing with management
rather than politics. At the local level, social services tend to be a
depoliticized issue. Even though local politicians have a positive
attitude to talk and work with all the actors, they fail to achieve
regular coordination and engagement. Key Practitioner Message