First draft of the document on funding social services takes shape

The Kosovo Local Government Institute (KLGI) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW) held a further meeting of the Working Group for preparing the “Funding Formula and Criteria for the Specific Grant for Social Services”.

First, the Working Group was informed about the activities carried out in the field of social services and on the Funding Formula for the Specific Grant for Social Services.

At the meeting, the first draft of the document on the funding formula and the Specific Grant for Social Services was first presented and discussed, based on the Concept Document for the field of Local Finance and the Concept Document for Social and Family Services. At the same time, the aim was to clarify what the social services framework includes, and what the central and local levels provide.

The Specific Grant for Social Services serves to fund the cost of providing social services at the municipal level based on minimum standards. The funding criteria are therefore intended to address the problems in current funding and the new policies in this field.

As regards the provision of social services, it is essential to build a bridge between the public and private sectors; this document will therefore clarify the provision of services and their funding.

The document provides for social services to be divided by level and by region. There are three levels of social service provision in terms of regions: national, regional and local. In addition, the levels of service included are primary, secondary and tertiary.

Public budgets must ensure adequate financial support for the provision of social services, as this represents an effective investment and an essential element in improving citizens' lives.

The organisation of this workshop continues the KLGI Institute's commitment to supporting institutions with a view to the sustainable regulation of the local level in Kosovo.

This activity is being carried out within the project ‘Support for Stronger and More Sustainable Municipalities (SSSM)’, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo.