During this third Peer Exchange, 17 practitioners from Belgium, Croatia, Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Ireland, Bulgaria, France, Portugal, Spain and the European Commission, exchanged on concrete challenges and emerging practices of involving target population and relevant stakeholders in the design and implementation of accompanying measures and social inclusion programmes.

This third session of the Peer Exchanges looked at concrete steps that can be taken to engage stakeholders and target population in the decision-making process.

It also explored the advantages of a bottom-up approach in designing accompanying measures and social inclusion programmes, as well as the needs and challenges for meaningful participation of stakeholders and end recipients.

Peer Exchanges aim for knowledge sharing between partner organisations involved in the implementation of the FEAD-funded measures.

The Peer Exchange balanced panel discussions with interactive peer consultations, providing opportunities for maximising communication between participants. It focused on:

• the main advantages and challenges of a bottom-up approach, involving stakeholders and end recipients, in designing and implementing accompanying measures and social inclusion programmes;
• concrete steps that can be taken to involve target population (end recipients) in the decision-making process and ensure meaningful participation;
• types of support needed to take on board and follow-up on the ideas and suggestions of stakeholders and end recipients in the delivery of accompanying measures and social inclusion programmes;
• how the collaboration with stakeholders and end recipients can be further supported under the ESF+, also in view of fully abiding by the European Code of Conduct on Partnership.

Peer Exchanges are part of a cycle of capacity-building activities aiming at improving the delivery of FEAD at national, regional and local level during the transition period from 2020 to 2021.