EUROPEAN PROFILES S.A

TITLE OF PROJECT

Establishing Support in Social Integration and Employment of Disadvantaged and marginalised Groups

Country:

Сroatia

Project Period:

03/2010-01/2012

Project Value:

€ 1.412.500

No of Staff Provided:

3 Key Experts

Origin of Funding:

Instrument for Pre-accession (IPA)

Name of Client/ Beneficiary:

Croatian Employment Service

Description of Project:

The overall objective of the project is to promote the social inclusion of long-term unemployed social assistance beneficiaries by supporting their access to the labour market. The specific objective of the project is the development of a client based approach in the access of long-term unemployed social assistance beneficiaries to the labour market, by strengthening inter-sectoral and inter-institutional cooperation of relevant stakeholders and improving the quality of services of Centres for Social Welfare.

The project will assist the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) to design a model of improved services needed for personalised progression routes back to the employment and continuous labour market integration of the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups, as well as to ensure that effective arrangements are in place to guarantee horizontal cooperation of the Centres for Social Welfare (CfSWs) and other key stakeholders at regional and national level. The improvement of quality of services, i.e. introduction of the Social mentoring model by educating social experts for becoming Mentors for Social Inclusion is based on the Social Welfare Act which grants the assistance in overcoming specific difficulties, including the assistance of the CfSWs' social experts in searching for a job. The project will reinforce capacities and improve the quality of services of the CfSW, and will also strive to ensure general public support and motivation for the utilisation of such Social mentoring model. Given the current relatively negative image of the social welfare system in the Republic of Croatia, relevant project components will involve high level of transparency and participatory approach in order to ensure that effective arrangements are in place to guarantee horizontal cooperation of the CfSW and other stakeholders at all levels and to sustain their commitment.

There are two main components in this project:

Component 1: To develop basic instruments for taking stock on the situation and specific needs of the CfSWs, other stakeholders and potential clients and, subsequently, identify and bridge the gaps with respect to the improvement of the quality of services of the CfSWs.

Component 2: To focus on the capacity building of social experts working in the CfSW in order to become Mentors for Social Inclusion (MfSI). Capitalising on the work undertaken within the Component 1, a group of social experts will receive a comprehensive training that will incorporate both theoretical and practical elements, which will later on transfer the knowledge to larger group of social experts.

Services Provided:

• Conducting comprehensive analysis on existing practices and services related to social inclusion and employment
• Forming 8 working groups and conducting seminars for members of the working groups
• Defining formalized cooperation procedures
• Organising a public campaign to advocate access to the labour market as one of the complementary citizens' rights for preventing social exclusion
• Selection and training of at least 21 social experts, future MfSI and ToT
• Study visit to one of the EU Member States
• Pilot-delivery of the Social mentoring model
• Delivery of the Manual for Mentors for Social Inclusion
• Delivering training to a larger group of social experts, future MfSI
• Organizing seminars for a larger number of experts employed in CfSW, CES and other key stakeholders

Name of Partners

• Euroconsultants (GR)
• OSB Consulting (GE)
• National Institute for health and Welfare-THL (FI)
• National Confederation of Disabled People-NCPD (GR)