On 9 December, as part of the European SCALE UP project, EFFE and EFSI, the European Federation for Services to Individuals, launched the first European network for the Personal and Household Services sector (PHS Network). This network brings together organisations with the potential to represent employers active in domestic work, home care, assistance for people with disabilities, long-term care, and early childhood education and care.
Created to enhance the visibility, recognition and social dialogue of the sector at European level, the PHS network provides a forum for the exchange of practices and coordination on common issues such as undeclared work, administrative constraints and skills development. At the launch, participants emphasised the importance of having a structured framework to consolidate their role as employer representatives and provide a collective voice at European level. They expressed also interest to learn from each other about various ways to enhance their organisation’s visibility and capacity-building and improve access and participation to social dialogue.
The network’s main objectives are to improve recognition of the sector, strengthen collaboration between stakeholders, increase the capacity of organisations and give employers a stronger and more coordinated voice. Through regular exchanges, the network aims to create a strong community at European level, promote structured dialogue with social partners, and collect information, challenges and good practices from the field.
Several activities are planned throughout the year, including the first PHS network webinar, scheduled for March, which will bring together organisations from the sector and representatives of European institutions to discuss key issues for the development of the sector.
EFFE and EFSI initiated their collaboration in 2018 to build and strengthen the PHS sector in the EU. In July 2025, in the framework of the previous EU project “PHSDialogue”, they published a Capacity Building Toolkit for PHS Employers and Businesses Organisations, aimed at reinforcing social partners’ abilities and power to engage in social dialogue and advocacy for a stable, organised and sustainable PHS sector.