The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection aims to amend the law on the social support fund and the law on social services so as to make the financing of social services from the state budget possible and so that responsibility is born not only by the local public authorities, IPN reports.
In debates on the relevant proposal, secretary of state Vasile Cușcă said the social services are a relatively new component of the special assistance. Of the 41 social services from the nomenclature, only 25 are regulated. Problems are experienced with the financing of social services that, in accordance with the law, are the responsibility of the local public authorities. In 2018, there was implemented a minimum package of social services with three services: personal social assistance, monetary support service for disadvantaged categories and family support service for children.
They aim to also introduce the social service “Protected Home” for persons with disabilities as a measure to prevent their institutionalization, the family type children’s home and professional parent assistance, both intended for children, in the package. The social eatery is another service planned for 2023. The goal is to design framework regulations on quality standards.
Sergiu Postica, of the Leova Social Assistance Division, said the Community Home service is a good service and the Mobile Team service could be later instituted. When he started work, there were two social services, but now there are about 20 such services. Several years ago, there were not many parent assistants, but now these number over 100 and this is gladdening.
Viorica Matas, executive director of the public association “Concordia. Proiecte Sociale”, noted that the costs for the family-type placement services, professional parent assistance and family-type children’s homes should be reviewed as the necessities are much higher, while Daniela Sîmboteanu, founder and head of the National Center for Child Abuse Prevention, said she supports the extension of the professional parent assistance services as the children who need support are many in number, but such services are few.