Montenegro

UNDP supports community based social services in Montenegro

Podgorica, 23 November 2011

“Social exclusion has become a visible phenomenon in Montenegro, despite the significant allocations for social transfers and subsidies. Negative impacts of economic and financial crises caused increase of the poverty level from 4, 9% in 2008 to 6, 8% in 2009, while in 2010, 14.29% of GDP was allocated for social welfare. But, it is also a time of great opportunity,” said Rastislav Vrbensky, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro at the presentation of supported community based social services. A round table with an aim to present supported community based social services in three pilot municipalities - Nikšić, Bar and Bijelo Polje, within the framework of the IPA 2010 Project: “Reform of the Social Welfare and Child Care System – Enhancing Social Inclusion in Montenegro” was organized by the UNDP in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

The presentation of social services was followed by a discussion on challenges, opportunities and future steps in the implementation of community based social services. Participants in the round table were representatives of municipalities Bar, Nikšić and Bijelo Polje, supported service providers, representatives of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, UNICEF, NGOs CRNVO and FaKT, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, EU Delegation to Montenegro, UNDP, etc..

The services provided in this way should impact on the lives of many: people with disabilities, elderly in urban and rural areas, young population and families and risk, women victims of violence, psychoactive substances addicts etc.. They will be able to get the social services of daily care centres, personal assistance services, psychosocial support services, services for mediation and support in employment, home visits and re-socialization measures.

This project worth €1.3 million is oriented to at least 12 types of social services for adults. In the fist round, 17 projects were submitted upon a call for proposals to promote social services and 12 were approved: seven in Nikšić, three in Bijelo Polje and two in Bar. These municipalities were allocated €250,000, which will allow operation of services by mid 2012.

It is important to emphasize the commitment and determination of project partners, service providers and local self-governments, and their readiness and openness for all the suggestions in the process of planning and realization of services as such. The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro once again proved to be reliable and valuable partner in all phases of project implementation. The following institutions and organizations are grant recipients responsible for the implementation of the mentioned services: Social Welfare Center of Nikšić, Plužine and Šavnik; Association of the blind of Nikšić, Plužine and Šavnik; Association for help to persons with disabilities of Nikšić; Red Cross Nikšić; SOS telephone for women and children victims of violence of Nikšić; NGO Preporod of Nikšić, NGO Humanitarac of Nikšić, NGO Association of plegics of Nikšić, Association of paraplegics of Bijelo Polje and Mojkovac; SOS telephone for women and children victims of violence of Bijelo Polje; Public Institution Center for support to children and families of Bijelo Polje; NGO Women for better tomorrow of Bijelo Polje; Red Cross Bar and NGO Adria Bar.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Education and Sports and the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro are committed to supporting innovation that will help achieve more transformative change on country’s social challenges. Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Mr. Suad Numanović stated that the project promotes and integrates the key recommendations of the European platform against poverty and social exclusion and Strategies Europe 2020. “The expected results of the reform of welfare and child protection are a systematized and direct opening and functioning of social services in accordance with the needs of users, prevention, more transparent use of resources, coordination and more effective monitoring and reporting, as well as reduction of regional disparities,” said Minister Numanović.

Project implementers and participants in the round table expressed hope that their joint efforts will contribute to improvement of the quality of life of many vulnerable population groups in Montenegro and thus make one more step towards enhanced social inclusion of all excluded and marginalized and the ones at risk from social exclusion. Also, they hope that this joint project will strengthen the capacities of the system for a successful reform and achieving EU standards. 

Project Manager in the Operational Sector of the EU Delegation in Montenegro Dawn Adie-Baird said the government must continue to support social services in order to create appropriate structures, increase the administrative capacity and ensure effective implementation of the reform of social welfare. “It is crucial that the excluded social groups were fully protected and included in the Montenegrin society, and society of the EU in the coming years,” said Ms. Adie-Baird.

The supported social services are the result of partnership relations of local non-governmental organizations, public institutions (Social Welfare Centres, Employment Bureaux, and local public institutions), municipal Red Cross Organizations and local self-governments which showed great potential for providing quality services and enabling beneficiaries to get the service in their natural environment, family and local community. 

“We are keen to see the project grow and develop further, and hope that in the future it will be expanded from the three municipalities to become a national resource. This project will give the opportunity for engagement of competent professionals and vulnerable population, equipping of premises, training and education of employees in organizations/institutions service providers, and for raising awareness of citizens for the need of social services in local community,” said Mr. Rastislav Vrbensky, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro. „The supported local social services are in line with national strategic priorities, and UNDP will offer technical and expert support in order to help improve social welfare planning at local level; it will also promote decentralization, pluralism and capacity building of service providers; and it will create conditions for establishment of the national social welfare and child care system reform mechanism. The aim of this mechanism will be to provide sustainability of local social services, and it will be called the Fund for Social Services and Innovations,” Mr. Vrbensky explained.
 
The IPA 2010 Project: “Reform of the Social Welfare and Child Care System – Enhancing Social Inclusion in Montenegro” is one component of an actually bigger project where UNICEF Montenegro works on a component regarding Child Care System Reform. The whole project, including the third component on Inclusive Education is funded by the EU with €3 million.

In 2012, in the next round of distribution of grants, UNDP and UNICEF set a target to join the available resources in the Project “Social Welfare and Child Care Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion”. In this way we will try and create conditions for technical and financial support also to the local social services for children in three pilot municipalities. 

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More about the Social Welfare and Child Care Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion, IPA 2010; Component 2: Social Welfare Reform, implemented by UNDP

Montenegro has recognized the problem of social exclusion in all strategic documents (Poverty Alleviation and Social Inclusion Strategy 2007-2011, Social Welfare and Child Care Development Strategy 2008-2012, Strategy on Development of Social Protection of Elderly 2008-2012, Strategy for Integration of People with Disabilities 2008-2016) as one of the key priorities of the social welfare and child care system reform process.

The aim of the Project “Social Welfare and Child Care Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion” is to assist the Government / Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in reform oriented efforts towards achieving comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable social and child care system.

The Project is financed by the European Union in the total amount of 3 million Euros, and implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Education and Sports, with technical and expert support from the UNDP and the UNICEF in Montenegro. It is comprised of three components: 1) Inclusive Education 2) Social Welfare Reform and 3) Child Care System Reform.
 
UNDP implements component No. 2 worth 1.3 million Euros oriented to:

1. Improvement of social welfare planning on the local level through providing support in drafting and implementation of local social inclusion plans that will enable better coordination and harmonization with national strategic priorities,
2. Promotion of decentralization, development of pluralism and capacity building of service providers and development of local social services in line with standards,
3. Creating conditions for establishment of the Fund for Social Services and Innovations with the aim of providing long term sustainability of local social services.

 

Expected effects of the social welfare and child care system reform are: systematized and steered establishment and running of beneficiary oriented social services, prevention of institutionalization of beneficiaries, better targeting and coverage of beneficiaries, effective and transparent use of funds, improved coordination and effective monitoring and reporting, reduction of regional disparities.

In that regard, through transparent process and with immense contribution and support from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro, 12 social services for adults in three pilot municipalities Bar, Bijelo Polje and Nikšić were selected for the support in the first round of grants’ distribution. Supported local social services are in line with national strategic priorities.

The total amount of granted funds is €249,827 that will support running of services until the end of July 2012.
 
Direct beneficiaries of supported services are people with disabilities, elderly in urban and rural areas, young population and families and risk, women victims of violence, psychoactive substances addicts etc., that will be able to get the social services of daily care centres, personal assistance services, psychosocial support services, services for mediation and support in employment, home visits and re-socialization measures.
Allocated funds will give the opportunity for engagement of competent professionals and vulnerable population, equipping of premises, training and education of employees in organizations/institutions service providers, and for raising awareness of citizens for the need of social services in local community. 

Supported social services are the result of partnership relations of local non-governmental organizations, public institutions (Social Welfare Centres, Employment Bureaus, and local public institutions), municipal Red Cross Organizations and local self-governments showing the potential for enhancing partner relations, information and experience sharing and supports creating conditions for their sustainability. 

All supported service providers will get on-going support from UNDP during the implementation of the Social Welfare Reform Project in further planning and realization of services, project and financial management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation, reporting and standardization of social services. That will strengthen capacities of local service providers to provide quality services and will enable beneficiaries to get the service in their natural environment, family and local community.

This is only the first step in strengthening capacities of national and local stakeholders in the social welfare and child care system for planning, initiating and managing decentralization of existing and introducing innovative social services.

Rules, procedures and best practices established through implementation of project activities will be used for establishment of the national social welfare and child care system reform mechanism – Fund for Social Services and Innovations.
 
It is planned to, using joint efforts of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Finance through the Social Innovation Fund, create opportunities for replications of best practices from three pilot municipalities to the entire country, for technical support and on-going mentoring of service providers, support to building and strengthening partnerships of stakeholders on the local level towards joint planning, implementation, information and experience exchange. 

In the next round of distribution of grants, planned for 2012, UNDP and UNICEF will join the available resources in the Project “Social Welfare and Child Care Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion” and create conditions for technical and financial support also to the local social services for children in three pilot municipalities.