SUPPORT FOR MUNICIPALITIES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL SOCIAL PLANS CONTINUES
Functional modernizations of social services, as well as deinstitutionalization, are impossible without providing conditions for the introduction of new services at the local level. A prerequisite for this is prepared municipalities that have a clear picture of the needs of the citizens and can plan and implement the introduction of quality social services according to the needs of the community.
Since the last changes to the Law on Social Protection, in the previous three years, many new social services have been established at the local level, especially in the sphere of services in the home, but they are not evenly spread geographically throughout the country, and the majority of municipalities and local authorities have yet to be involved in this process.
With the support of the project “Supporting modernization and deinstitutionalization of social services” in the period 2020 – 2021 eleven (11) municipalities: Bitola, Veles, Kriva Palanka, Shtip, Demir Kapija, Chucher Sandevo, Kavadarci, Strumica, Probishtip, Kochani and Delchevo, developed medium-term Local Social Plans (LSP) as roadmaps for improving social services in the community and establishing or expanding social services at the local level. The main goal of LSP is to identify the current demographic and socio-economic situation in the municipality, and based on that to create and support local policies that are based on and respond to the needs of all citizens of the community.
The Project provides assistance to the municipalities through the processes and tools for mapping the situations and needs, the content of the local social plans, and ensures the building of the local capacities for planning and realization of the plans.
In the second phase of support to municipalities, which began in 2022, eight new municipalities joined: Makedonski Brod, Kumanovo, Prilep, Centar Župa and four municipalities from the Skopje Region: Kisela Voda, Gjorce Petrov, Centar and Chair. In these municipalities, the process of mapping social problems and vulnerable groups, analysis of the capacities and available social services, as well as the specific needs for the development of social services in the municipality is ongoing.
The municipalities of Kumanovo and Centar from Skopje, through public calls, opened a wide consultation process to identify the needs of citizens from the development of social services and invite all interested associations of citizens, institutions, natural and legal persons working in the field of social protection, as equal partners, to contribute to the preparation of the LSP, by submitting initiatives, ideas and proposals for the development and improvement of social protection at the local level, according to the needs of citizens who are at social risk.
You will find more details about the public calls at:
Municipality of Centar: https://www.centar.gov.mk/?p=15370
In this second phase, the Project simultaneously started transferring knowledge and experiences for the preparation of local social plans for the rest of the municipalities in the Republic of North Macedonia that have not been involved in this process. Through public events for local representatives and social service providers, dedicated to the exchange of experiences according to the “World Café” methodology, the project will support municipalities to map local needs and existing social services, develop local social plans and new community services, to identify social service providers and offer sustainability and further development of already established services that are currently funded through grants.
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