Four new Flash Reports prepared by the European Social Policy Network (ESPN) are now available and provide information on recent social policy developments in Estonia, Italy, Slovenia and the UK.

• In Estonia, a number of amendments to the Social Welfare act entered into force on 1 January 2018. They aim to better support people in need while at the same time encourage them to take up work. In order to achieve this, the needs-based family benefit was abolished and the subsistence benefit system made more flexible.
• With the adoption of Law No 33/2017 and the subsequent 2018 Stability Law, Italy has filled the traditional gap in social protection, introducing both a national minimum income scheme and an integrated system of social services aimed at active inclusion. However, the extent to which all those in extreme poverty will be protected may be limited.
• In Slovenia, 90 calendar days of paternity leave were gradually introduced between 2003 and 2005, of which 15 days were with full salary compensation. Since most fathers did not use unpaid leave, and in order to comply with EU legislation, the regulation was amended in 2014. Since 1 January 2018, the duration of paternity leave has been reduced to 30 days, with fathers being paid a full salary for that period.
• In the UK, the fire in Grenfell Tower resulted directly in an increased government focus on social housing. In a statement on the fire, the Prime Minister said, “For too long… under governments of both colours, we simply haven’t given enough attention to social housing”. Together with the collapse of Carillion, the UK’s second biggest construction and services firm, this tragedy also raised important issues about contracting out public services.