The sixth meeting of the SCTM Network for Social Care

We discussed the new strategic and legal framework in the area of social care and possible solutions for the improvement of social protection services at the local level

The sixth meeting of the SCTM Network for Social Protection was held on 1 July 2019, in the "M" hotel in Belgrade. Participants were addressed by PhD Jasmina Tanasic, SCTM Program Director for Social Development, Ms. Suzana Misic, Assistant Minister (Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans' and Social Affairs - MRZBSP) and Vesna Milosavljevic, Head of the Normative and Legal Affairs Department in the field of social and family care and financial support to the family with children (MRZBSP).

At the meeting of the network, a new strategic and legal framework in the area of social protection was presented (Draft Social Care Strategy, Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Social Care and the Draft Law on the Social Card). Representatives of the ministry provided answers and possible solutions with which towns and municipalities are facing in relation to the provision of local social care services, the way of their financing, as well as the challenges of de-institutionalization.

PhD Jasmina Tanasic from the SCTM pointed out the need for a holistic approach to social care in order to ensure its sustainability, and user participation through inclusion approach, provision of multi-sectoral services, especially emphasizing the importance of inter-municipal cooperation. Inter-municipal cooperation in the field of organizing local social services is a way of ensuring greater accessibility of services, a greater coverage of users, more efficient, more effective social care, and more rational resources management.

Representative of Transparency Serbia, Rade Djuric, presented the Manual on Social Public Procurement, pointing out the urgency of including the social component as an additional criterion in public procurement in order to reach a more inclusive and equal society.

Mirjana Komnenovic, SCTM Social Care Advisor, spoke about the significance of the localization of sustainable development goals (SDG) in all public policies at the local level, especially with reference to social care. The steps in the process of localization of SDG and the practical importance of their implementation in planning and other documents at the local level were presented.

At the end of the meeting an initiative was launched to create funds for the development of local social services, which was first presented at the meeting of the SCTM Committee on Health and Social Policy, which was formulated by the Republic Institutions for Social Welfare.

The Sixth Meeting of the SCTM Network for Social Welfare was organized as part of the project "Institutional Support to the SCTM - Third Phase", which is supported by the Swiss Government.