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Description
The project address regional inequalities in accessibility of social services, unequal development of social services for different beneficiaries, weak coordination and lack of sustainability. Poor collaboration and transparency between policy makers, local stakeholders and civil society parallel with insufficient evidence-base in policy making contributes to such state. It aims to strengthen civil society''s advocacy position and dialogue with policy makers in order to achieve transparency and universal access to basic social services for vulnerable groups. Specific objectives: 1. creating evidence-base for developing and advocating policies of universal access to basic social services, through research and structured dialogue with stakeholders; 2. improving transparency and efficiency of planning, monitoring, assessing the availability and quality of social services; 3. Increasing awareness and support to the initiative for universal access to basic social services. Key activities: comprehensive scientific research followed with development of policy framework and implementation model for universal access to basic social services; empowering local officials and social service providers and developing digital tools to facilitate and increase transparency in planning and organizing social services according to the proposed model and monitoring quality; advocacy campaign carried out by the Initiative for Universal Access to Basic Social Services, formed in the project. Partner Study Centre for Social Work will lead research and policy development activities while donor state partner Einurd will contribute to capacity building in the field of community development and integration of services. Target groups including social service beneficiaries are not specifically addressed based on their gender, age or race; this project is relevant for Transparency and anti-corruption policy marker.
Summary of project results
The long-term experience of the applicant and partners in the field of social services and policies indicate the following problems: marked regional inequality in the availability of social services, and especially the unavailability of certain social services in less developed and rural areas; insufficient monitoring of the quality of social services and weaker involvement of users and other stakeholders in planning, monitoring and evaluation; uneven social development. service for different groups of users - groups of different ages and different needs do not have equal access to services; insufficient coordination among providers of social. service (in the same area, several providers provide the same type of services, while others are absent); the unsustainability of some social service due to almost exclusive project financing; pronounced centralization in social planning service.
Surveys of the current availability of social services at the LGU level in Croatia were conducted; Feasibility analysis of the model of universally available basic social services; Creation of a proposal with a model of implementation of universally available basic and high-quality social services at the local level; Creation and piloting of a digital (web) tool for assessing compliance with the quality standards of social services and for assessing the feasibility of universal availability of basic social services; Preparation and implementation of regional trainings on universally available basic and high-quality social services; Education of advocacy coalition members on the integration of services in the community; Preparation and implementation of peer education and consultation on intergenerational solidarity and intercultural dialogue in advocacy; Organization and implementation of expert meetings on the model of universally available basic social services in the community; Preparing and sending a summary of research and proposed solutions; Webinar for presentation of research results; Conferences for the media
As the biggest achievement of the project, we would like to point out that the study in the publication "Universal availability of basic social services: a feasibility model" and the publication itself were accepted by the relevant Ministry in such a way that, based on these sources, a national methodology for the creation of county social plans was written and proposed. In addition, the methodology we developed through this project is the basis for contracting new social services in a transparent manner, expanding the network of social services and, ultimately, significantly increasing the availability of social services, which was the main goal of the project. We would like to point out that other innovative solutions that we have not had in the Republic of Croatia so far have been accepted, such as thinking about how local and regional self-government units should encourage the quality and sustainability of social service providers, as well as the proposal to classify services according to territorial scope (local, those that are organized at the level of LGU clusters, county level). Through the implementation of expert meetings and advocacy activities, we have established successful cooperation with other CSOs and encouraged a dialogue aimed at identifying a series of difficulties faced by CSOs that provide social services in relation to public providers and jointly connecting and undertaking initiatives to resolve this unequal situation. position of the CSO.
Summary of bilateral results
The partner participated in the preparation of educational programs and materials on working with local communities and decision-makers on the development and integration of inclusive social services, and training was conducted for members of the advocacy coalition. A study trip was conducted by representatives of the advocacy coalition to a partner organization from Iceland