Locations
Enabling the provision of quality services tuned towards the needs of vulnerable population
Developing facilities for provision of social services in Montenegro
Summary
Development and provision of quality social services is one of the key priorities as a part of the ongoing reform of the social welfare and childcare system of Montenegro. While continuous progress has been made in the past decade, the effective and accountable delivery of quality social services at the local level still faces considerable challenges in terms of insufficient organizational and human capacities to deliver social services and lack of facilities for service provision. To tackle these challenges, UNDP in partnership of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare implements the project Developing Facilities for Provision of Social Services in Montenegro.
The main project objective is to enable socially vulnerable groups improved access to quality, equitable, inclusive and sustainable social services. All people should increasingly benefit from an equitable, gender-responsive and universally accessible social and child protection system and quality services, including labour market activation, skills and capabilities.
Background
The comprehensive social and child protection system Reform is one of the key undertakings of the Government of Montenegro in the ongoing EU integration process, where the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MoLSW) is the key implementer. The Reform has been implemented since early 2011 within the framework of a partnership between MoLSW, UN agencies (UNICEF and UNDP) and the EU (IPA 2010) entitled: “Social Welfare and Child Care System Reform – Enhancing Social Inclusion”. Upon completion of this initiative in July 2014, MoLWS with UNDP technical support continues the reform process under the umbrella of project “Developing Facilities for Provision of Social Services in Montenegro”.
Project Outcome
To enhance the social inclusion of vulnerable groups in line with their needs and international and EU standards, project interventions have been organised in three key components:
Further development of facilities of social welfare and childcare institutions and social service providers to increase the potential for the provision of user-oriented, gender-responsive social services which are in line with standards in relation to infrastructural, technical, functional and human capacities requirements;
Effective delivery of adequate user-oriented, gender-responsive social services to vulnerable groups enabled through increased national and local level capacities for planning, financing and coordinating the development of social services and improved capacities of service providers for provision of social and childcare services;
Support to strategic normative framework and operational frameworks further development and implementation, based on the evidence, practices and relevant analytics of the social welfare and child care system.
Major achievements
Under this Project initiative, since its beginning in 2013, more than 40 different facilities have been developed (constructed/reconstructed/renovated and/or equipped) for provision of social and childcare services all over the country including:
Brand new multifunctional facility in Petnjica constructed and furnished for the need of Social Welfare Centre, Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, Employment Agency, Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro and Day Care Centre for Elderly;
11 facilities – Day Care Centres for the Elderly reconstructed/renovated and/or equipped (2 in Nikšić, 2 in Danilovgrad, and 1 each in Podgorica, Plav, Petnjica, Rožaje, Cetinje, Bijelo Polje and Kolasin);
- 5 facilities – Day Care Centres for Children with Disabilities reconstructed/renovated and/or equipped (in Podgorica, Danilovgrad, Kotor, Bijela and Nikšić);5 Social Welfare Centres premises reconstructed/renovated and/or equipped (Nikšić, Golubovci, Danilovgrad, Cetinje and Šavnik);
4 apartments for Supported living service – renovated and equipped (Herceg Novi, Bijelo Polje,Spuž and Nikšić);
8 more facilities have been subject of adaptation (reconstruction, renovation, equipping) to become functional for provision of social services, including: Children’s Home „Mladost” Bijela, home for the elderly in Pljevlja, Risan and Bijelo Polje, etc.