Contextual aspects; drivers and brakes

In the Estonian context, co-design and co-creation are not reflected in governmental documents, development plans and guidelines. A top-down style service design, the current legal framework, the path dependency of the country’s welfare regime and the service-centred rather than individual centered solutions of the public sector all define the context in which the Estonian pilot develops its public services.

This pilot aimed at two types of change in a remote area in Võru county, Estonia with a low-density population.

The first goal is to increase citizens’ involvement into the service development process, using the method of social hackathon events as a way of mobilizing existing community resources in rural areas of Estonia.

The second is to shift service-centred approaches in the social care system toward person-centred solutions, where the self-definition of service users and their solutions are emphasized.

Co-creating parties and target group

The target group in this pilot is vulnerable people (people with disabilities, mental health problems and elderly people)

Typical co-creating parties are local governments, service providers, user groups but also entrepreneurs, community leaders and fellow citizens.