This side event, hosted by ICSW in partnership with IASSW, IFSW, and ICSD, underscored integrated social policy as a cornerstone of sustainable development, highlighting how coordinated approaches across social protection, health, education, labour, and community empowerment can more effectively tackle complex challenges such as poverty, inequality, and poor health. The session featured presentations by our partner organisations. I

CSD President Prof. Leila Patel and Vice President Prof. Lauren Graham delivered a joint presentation strengthening this call for systemic, people-centred approaches to development. They shared how community-level innovations in South Africa offer valuable lessons for how integrated social protection systems can better support children, youth, and families across the life course. Despite global calls for harmonised policies, many countries still face fragmented service delivery and weak links to labour markets and social services. Drawing on two demonstration projects—the Basic Package of Support for Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) youth and the Communities of Practice for child wellbeing—they showed that meaningful integration requires alignment across policy, programme, and administrative levels, combined with strong frontline workers, sustained collaboration, and formal coordination mechanisms. These initiatives demonstrate how shared data, digital tools, and multi-sector partnerships can reconnect excluded youth to opportunities, improve wellbeing in schools, and strengthen accountability.

Read Prof Leila Patel and Prof Lauren Graham’s conbtibution here.