The tasks of the network include contributing to the improvement of training in social management in the countries of the region, and promoting a common research agenda for better identification of the determinants of social problems and inequality in each country and at the regional level.

Formation of the network is one of the outcomes of the First Central American Social Management Forum (FOGES), which was held from 13th to 15th April 2015 in Antigua (Guatemala) by the Guatemalan Ministry of Social Development within the framework of its pro-tempore presidency of the SICA and under the mandates of the 43rd ordinary meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the SICA member countries.

The FOGES received support from EUROsociAL, a programme of the European Union, and other cooperation programmes (USAID, United Nations, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, World Bank). At the technical level, the Central American Public Administration Institute (ICAP) and the SICA provided their support.

The Forum brought together the region's Ministers of Social Development and Secretaries of Planning for the purpose of creating a policy-making and technical space that will contribute to generating a common vision of social management in the SICA region. Each country presented its experiences in the management of social policy and social protection systems, indicating aspects related to their governance, budgets, evaluation of results, and challenges in this area. 

The inauguration included the participation of Minister of Social Development Leonel Rodríguez, European Union Ambassador Stella Zervoudaky, and Resident UNDP Representative Valérie Julliand.

In the three days of work, three interrelated activities were pursued: 1) a meeting of policy authorities; 2) an international seminar; 3) a workshop on the region's universities and research centres. The meeting of authorities resolved to institutionalise the FOGES as a periodic and itinerant mechanism in each of the countries which will allow governments, with the ICAP's support, to contribute to promoting the definition of public policies for social development to enable better design and implementation of social programmes.

In representation of EUROsociAL, Clarisa Hardy, a member of the Steering Committee of this European Union programme, participated with an inaugural conference on the modern conception of social management, and Francesco Maria Chiodi, coordinator of the Programme's social policies area, gave a talk on the European system for coordinating social policies. Both also participated in the workshop on the region's universities and research centres.