1. Basic Information
1.1 Publication notice reference: EuropeAid/ 138-094/IH/ACT/HR
1.2 Programme: Transition Facility IPA/2013/24986 (Annex of C(2013) 8057 final)
1.3 Twinning Number: HR 14 IPA SO 04 16
1.4 Title:Strengthening institutional capacity in social welfare system to improve social welfare targeting and reducing poverty (CRO REDPOV)
1.5 Sector: Social affairs
1.6 Beneficiary country: Republic of Croatia
2. Objectives
2.1 Overall objective:
The overall objective is to improve targeting of social welfare programs leading to social inclusion of disadvantaged groups and reduction of poverty.
2.2 Project purpose:
The project purpose is to strengthen administrative capacities of social services providers for early identification and timely interventions to people, families and children at risk of poverty, especially children.
2.3 Contribution to Accession Treaty/Relevant national documents:
Accession Treaty
Article 30 of the Accession Treaty under the point 1 states that the European Union will provide temporary financial assistance through Transition Facility (TF) instrument in order to develop and strengthen administrative and judicial capacity to implement and enforce EU law and to foster best practice exchange among peers. This Twinning project is in line with the main priorities of the TF instrument and will contribute to strengthen administrative capacities of the social welfare system. It will also contribute to national commitment (Annex VII - Specific commitments undertaken by the Republic of Croatia in the accession negotiations) to improve human rights protection by supporting better targeting of social welfare programs, leading to social inclusion of disadvantaged groups and reduction of poverty.
Strategy for combating poverty and social exclusion in the Republic of Croatia 2014-2020
Strategy is a national document adopted in March 2014. It enables systematic and joint approach of all relevant stakeholders in combating poverty and social exclusion. This important document refers to current situation and causes of poverty, identifying groups which face greatest risk of poverty and social exclusion. Children and youth are identified as one of four groups with the highest risk, as a result of growing unemployment of their parents or youth itself. In order to minimize these negative effects, this Strategy underlines a need for better targeting of social programs for children and their families. Therefore, the activities of the project will provide a significant contribution to priorities defined by this Strategy.
1
National strategy for the child rights in the Republic of Croatia 2014-2020
National strategy is a national document adopted in September 2014. Its purpose is to improve efficient protection of child rights through implementation of international and national standards. It promotes integrative approach to the child rights, focusing on improvement of services in the social welfare system, justice system, health care, education, sports and culture. Furthermore, it stresses the importance of eliminating all forms of violence against children and ensuring child rights in vulnerable situations, including active participation of children themselves. Priorities relevant for this Twinning project refer to the following goals: support to families in ensuring stable development context for children; improvement of monitoring of different measures and programs devoted to children and their families; efficient development of quality services and programs with the accent on prevention activities; establishment of efficient and sustainable intersectoral cooperation on local, regional and national level.
3. Description
3.1 Background and justification:
Protection of rights and interests of children was granted by the Croatian Constitution and number of legal acts, such as Social Welfare Act, Family Act, Foster Care Act, Act on Protection from Domestic Violence, acts in the field of education, labour, health insurance and health protection, including acts which regulate criminal-law protection of children. The Croatian Government has also adopted number of strategies, programs and protocols important for the child welfare. All these documents lead to a conclusion that during the last decade significant progress in this field has been made. However, global economic crisis significantly affected national economy, leading to an increase in unemployment and number of persons working without receiving salary, as well as the number of low-income working families. This has in turn led to an increase in poverty, which does not cause only material deprivation but also represents significant risk for social exclusion and other psychosocial risks.
In 2014, Croatia had one of the highest rates of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion compared to the EU countries. At-risk-of-poverty rate (after social transfers), as the basic indicator of poverty that represents the percentage of people that have an available equivalent income under at- risk-of-poverty threshold, amounted to 19.5%. Removal of social transfers from the income increased the percentage of people at risk of poverty to 29.9%.1 In addition, severe material deprivation rate in 2014 amounted to 13.3% (i.e. severe material deprivation rate shows the percentage of persons living in households that cannot afford, exclusively due to financial reasons, at least four out of nine items of material deprivation).2
Children and youth are identified as one of the four groups with the greatest risk of poverty and social exclusion in Croatia, and therefore are one of priority target groups in relation to poverty reduction measures. In 2014, according to data of the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth (MSPY), 29.518 children lived in poverty. According to Articles 26 and 27 of UN Convention on the rights of the child (ratified by the Republic of Croatia in 1991), children have rights to adequate living standard, but if this cannot be ensured by their parents or guardians, national governments should directly or indirectly provide help. This means that it is the task of the public and state policy to ensure an access to social resources to children and youth.
Many national documents and reports outline following groups of children which face the highest risk of poverty and social exclusion: children from families where no one works, children from families
which receive social assistance, children from low income single-parent families, children with disabilities, children placed in social welfare institutions, Roma children and children living in large families. One of rare researches in relation to child poverty - Poverty and Material Well-Being of Preschool Children in Croatia – was finalized in September 2014 (reference to this research has been made in the section 3.2 Linked activities). It targeted preschool children from families receiving social assistance. This research has shown that 65% of children living below poverty line live in rural areas, 47% of them do not have their own bed, 68% of poor families declared that they do not have enough financial resources to satisfy basic food needs, and 30% of them do not have paediatricians near their place of residence. Even though institutions are putting much effort into child protection, there are still many challenges in relation to efficient poverty reduction. Children growing up in poverty have higher social exclusion risk and are likely to face other psychosocial problems. It is therefore necessary to break poverty circle and lack of opportunities at a young age.
Firstly, better orientation of social programs aimed primarily at children and their families is needed. It is important to provide services and social programs which are based on evidence and clear indicators of success. However, there is still lack of relevant statistical data, or the same data source contains different data. Furthermore, indicators of wellbeing and life quality are poorly conceptualized and operationalized. Data which exist are not segregated according to age group 0-18 years and do not contain data in relation to availability of certain services, perception of poverty, etc. In general, there is a lack of information on child poverty in Croatia. Since year 2000, Croatian Bureau of Statistics has been regularly following and issuing statistical data in line with Eurostat methodology. Although important, these data do not provide overall insight into conditions and dynamics of the child poverty in Croatia, nor poverty of certain groups of children. What is missing in general are data on concrete life conditions of children and different aspects of their wellbeing. Results of the research conducted within this Twinning project will, jointly with other available data, provide information necessary for the establishment of poverty indicators and development of the Checklist for Early Identification of Families and Children at Risk of Poverty, a tool which will be used by different experts for early identification of families and children at risk of poverty. Setting of the poverty indicators represent necessary precondition for the adequate response and early service provision. Effective prevention programs, early identification and interventions are proved to decrease risk of child poverty.
Furthermore, additional improvements must be made in social welfare information and management system. The existing on-line data base of the MSPY contains data on beneficiaries of certain social services, but for timely provision of services and prevention of social exclusion of families and children at risk of poverty, it is necessary to upgrade the existing on-line data base of the MSPY with the established indicators and data on families and children at risk of poverty. Moreover, the existing on-line data base of beneficiaries of specific rights and services in the community does not show distribution of child poverty in different regions, which represents an obstacle to the evidence-based planning of social services and programs. The result is unequal distribution as well as unequal quality of social services and programs in different regions. This Twinning project envisages development of IT system for monitoring and evaluation of social programs. All the activities and outputs mentioned above will form a good base for the development and implementation of social programs which are based on evidence and clear indicators of success.
As regards capacity strengthening, many strategic documents outline a need for continuous training of experts responsible for the child protection, putting an emphasis on outcome competencies, not only on training contents. Experts working on different levels will be trained through this Twinning project on different topics, from statistics and analytics, preparation of social and action plans, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social programs. The project will also provide trainings relevant for efficient cooperation mechanisms between different social providers and will support establishment of at least two coordination structures on local levels. This will be a response to identified lack of vertical and horizontal coordination in implementation of acts, protocols and strategic documents in relation to child protection.
Finally, as already outlined, a number of Croatian regions have high percentage of child poverty on one side and lack of available social programs on the other. This Twinning project will therefore support development and implementation of at least two social programs in regions which have identified need for specific programs, and which demonstrate readiness for the implementation of such programs.
All project results will jointly contribute to early identification and timely provision of quality services to families and children at risk of poverty. Child poverty and transmission of poverty across generations produce significant consequences not only for those concerned, but for the overall society. Focusing on children is vital for sustainable, efficient and competitive knowledge economy and an intergenerational fair society.
3.2 Linked activities:
IPA IV (HRD) 2007-2013 project “Support to the Social Welfare Sector in the Process of Further Deinstitutionalisation of Social Services” was a service project implemented between November 2012 and November 2014. Deinstitutionalisation and development of community based social services as key priorities of the social welfare sector were supported by this project. Project itself dealt with two separate components: 1) Strengthening capacities of experts regarding social planning and promotion of alternative forms of care in the community, and 2) Strengthening capacities of experts regarding deinstitutionalisation process and transformation of social welfare homes. The following project results were achieved: trainings were organized for social welfare experts on social planning, social planning assessment and analysis of social policy, preparation of county social and action plans, monitoring, evaluation and reporting on action plans implementation (excel system for monitoring which will be used by counties was prepared); working groups for social planning were established in 10 counties; data on social services in 10 counties were collected and the proposal of new format of the data base was prepared; 8 action plans for 2014 and 8 action plans for 2015 were prepared; 10 social plans for the period 2014 – 2016 were prepared; Manual for social planning was delivered. In relation to transformation of institutions, trainings were organized for more than 200 experts from social welfare homes and other service providers in the communities (also nominated as members of teams responsible for institutional transformation in 26 selected social welfare homes); 4 examples of individual plans of transformation were prepared; additional individual support was provided to all 26 selected homes in relation to preparation of their Strategic plans of transformation and deinstitutionalisation.
“Poverty and Material Well-Being of Preschool Children in Croatia” was a research project implemented in partnership between the UNICEF Office in Croatia and the MSPY. Implementation started in the first quarter of 2013 and was finalized in September 2014. The aim of this qualitative and quantitative research was to obtain reliable data on the prevalence of poverty risk in general population of preschool children and to analyze living conditions of preschool children living in families which receive social assistance. Therefore, key indicators of income poverty were analysed, including detailed analysis of material wellbeing of children living in families which receive social assistance. Main results of this research have already been outlined in section 3.1 Background and justification. All project results obtained and analysed in the frame of policy measures will serve as a base for creation of specific measures for combating child poverty and development of children’s full potential. This research provided valuable information in relation to poverty of preschool children, but there is still lack of data in relation to school-age children, up to 18 years old. It is therefore expected that research conducted within this Twinning project is planned to provide quality data on poverty and poverty indicators of school-age children, such as basic characteristics and living conditions of school children living in poverty, material and social situation of some groups of school-age children, in order to better understand the role of social transfers and services in poverty reduction.
HR/2009/IB/SO/02 - IPA 2009 project “Improving experts' capacities for the protection of rights and interests of children and youth placed in homes for children and youth with behavioural disorders” was jointly implemented as a Twinning contract by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Croatia. Implementation started in August 2012 and was finalized in February 2014. The project purpose was to improve work quality of experts working in homes for children and youth with behavioural disorders. This was achieved by conducting number of trainings for improvement of management and professional skills of directors of the institutions and experts working directly with children, youth and parents, facilitating experts’ professional growth and burn-out prevention. A number of project activities also dealt with the improvement of cooperation and coordination mechanisms between stakeholders responsible for the child protection.
HR/2010/IB/SO/01TL - IPA 2010 project „Improving Foster Care for Children and Youth in the Republic of Croatia” was jointly implemented as Twinning light contract by the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Croatia. Implementation started in May 2013 and was finalized in October 2013. Overall objective of the project was to enhance the protection and well-being of children and youth by improving foster care, as one of the most suitable forms of care outside own families. This project aimed to improve work quality of experts from the Centres for Social Welfare dealing with foster care for children and youth; and to promote positive image and raise the interest of potential foster families in fostering children and youth. In order to achieve these goals, project addressed shortcomings in relation to legal, strategic and practical framework of foster care in relation to needs of both social welfare experts and foster families.
Project “Adult Life Entry Network (ALEN) - Empowerment and Activation of Young People in Disadvantaged Situations” was financed through PROGRESS program, from October 2011 to March 2013. Four countries, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia, jointly implemented the project. In Croatia, four partner organisations were involved in the implementation: MSPY, NGO Breza, NGO Children First and NGO Play. Overall objective of the project was to contribute to development of social policies related to social inclusion of youth in the context of EU initiatives and cooperation. Project targeted youth (17 to 20 years old) leaving homes for children without adequate parental care or homes for children and youth with behaviour disorders, contributing to their capacities for life management. Support to the target group was provided by peer assistants (young persons, 20 to 25 years old). Project developed and tested socially innovative service and strengthened exchange of mutual learning, both on national and international level.
MATRA Project “Improving the Quality of Alternative Sanctions and Educational Measures for Youth with Behavioural Disorders” was funded through Dutch Government MATRA programme. Project was implemented from September 2011 to January 2012. Project purpose was to improve implementation of alternative sanctions and educational measures aimed at youth with behavioural disorders, and implemented by the Centres for Social Welfare. Following project results were achieved: 1. National legislation on educational measures and alternative sanctions for juvenile delinquents were analysed and recommendations for improvements made; 2. Methods of work with youth with behavioural disorders were improved; 3. Network of services for the implementation of alternative sanctions and educational measures in the community was improved; and 4. An integrated approach for communication between the Centres for Social Welfare, State attorney’s offices, police and courts was supported.
“Social Welfare Development Project” (SWDP) was the project implemented by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare3 from 2005 to 2011, and was funded primarily by the World Bank Loan.
The objective of the project was to promote reforms in modernisation of the social welfare system and to provide services to the most vulnerable groups, which was obtained through three project components: 1) Improvement of the social services delivery; 2) Strengthening information- management system of the social welfare system; 3) Infrastructural improvements in the social welfare institutions. Within the first project component, 34 innovative projects of social services delivery were implemented; 25 standards of quality were developed and introduced in the social welfare institutions; methodology for social planning and preparation of county social plans was developed; reorganisation of the Centres for Social Welfare was introduced (by the principle: front and back office). Within the second project component, preconditions for introducing information- management system were introduced; software SOCSKRB (used by the Centres for Social Welfare) was developed; IT equipment for the social welfare institutions was delivered and cabling of all institutions was conducted. Within the third project component, 9 social welfare institutions were rebuilt, while standards and living conditions were improved in 45 social welfare homes (sanitary facilities, kitchens, dining room, laundry rooms).
3.3 Results:
Result 1: Poverty indicators established
Indicators of achievement:
Analysis of national documentation, social services and programs as well as at least 20 existing
indicators of poverty conducted and corresponding report prepared
Research4 on poverty of school-age children and their families prepared and conducted (data from
social, education, health and other services providers collected through focus groups with 40
participants); corresponding report prepared
Draft poverty indicators and draft Checklist for Early Identification of Families and Children at
Risk of Poverty developed
Public debate on the draft poverty indicators organized and conducted
Final version of poverty indicators developed and included in the final version of the Checklist
for Early Identification of Families and Children at Risk of Poverty5
Result 2: On-line data base upgraded and early identification of families and children at risk of poverty by all community based social services providers enabled
Indicators of achievement:
Analysis of the existing data base of the MSPY conducted and report with recommendations for
improvements prepared
Based on the prepared recommendations data base upgraded
Training program/materials for usage of the newly established data base (data entry and analysis)
developed
Training for 5 MSPY employees for usage of the newly established data base (data entry and
analysis) conducted
Training program/materials for data collecting, analysis and statistics developed
Training on data collecting, analysis and statistics for 10 social services providers conducted
Result 3: Capacity of social services providers to identify families at risk of poverty increased
Indicators of achievement:
Data on families and children at risk of poverty collected and included in the upgraded data base
Poverty indicators tested and corresponding report prepared
Training for 80 participants (social, education, health and other services providers) conducted and
their capacities for identification of families at risk of poverty strengthened
Coordination structure at local level (in at least 2 communities) established and training for 10
participants conducted
The work of the established coordination structures supervised and tested
Recommendations for future establishment and sustainability of the coordination structures in
other communities prepared
Result 4: Programs for increasing cultural capital and decreasing risk of poverty, especially for children, developed
Indicators of achievement:
Analysis of at least 20 programs for increasing cultural capital and decreasing risk of poverty
conducted and report with recommendations for improvements prepared
Training for 5 social welfare and other relevant experts on development and implementation of
social programs conducted
At least 2 programs for increasing cultural capital and decreasing risk of poverty (especially for
children) developed
Evaluation methodology developed and implementation of the developed social programs tested
and evaluated (e.g. during the period of 6 months) and corresponding report prepared
Guidelines for Development and Implementation of Social Programs (to be used in other
communities) prepared
At least 60 brochures prepared and disseminated6
At least 4 regional workshops/round tables for 60 social and other services providers (15
participants per each round table) organized and conducted
Result 5: Framework for monitoring established, programs monitored and evaluated
Indicators of achievement:
Analysis of the current monitoring and evaluation system conducted and report with
recommendations for improvements prepared
Framework for monitoring and evaluation process developed
Training on monitoring and evaluation for 15 participants conducted and capacities for
monitoring and evaluation of social programs at national and local level strengthened
IT system for monitoring and evaluation of social programs developed
At least 20 social programs evaluated7 on the basis of the data collected from at least 100 services
and report with recommendations for improvements prepared
3.4 Activities:
The activities listed below represent the minimum activities to be implemented in the course of the Twinning project. Member State(s) may propose additional activities in line with the methodology elaborated in its proposal.
Activities linked to Result 1
Activity 1.1 Conducting analysis of national documentation, social services and programs as well as at least 20 existing indicators8 and preparing corresponding report
Activity 1.2 Preparing and conducting research on poverty of school-age children and their families, including collecting data from social, education, health and other services providers through focus groups with 40 participants9 with respect to ongoing social services and programs and current indicators, and preparing corresponding report
Activity 1.3 Conducting analysis of data and developing draft poverty indicators and draft Checklist for Early Identification of Families and Children at Risk of Poverty
Activity 1.4 Organizing and conducting public debate on the draft poverty indicators
Activity 1.5 Developing final version of poverty indicators and including the poverty indicators in the final version of the Checklist for Early Identification of Families and Children at Risk of Poverty; printing and disseminating at least 2000 copies of the Checklist (in Croatian language)
Activities linked to Result 2
Activity 2.1 Conducting analysis of the existing data base of the MSPY and preparing report with recommendations for improvements
Activity 2.2 Upgrading data base based on the prepared recommendations
Activity 2.3 Developing training program/materials for usage of the newly established data base (data entry and analysis)
Activity 2.4 Organizing and conducting training for 5 MSPY employees for usage of the newly established data base (data entry and analysis)
Activity 2.5 Developing training program/materials for data collecting, analysis and statistics needed for planning of future social programs as well as for provision of the targeted social services to families and children at risk of poverty
Activity 2.6 Organizing and conducting training on data collecting, analysis and development of statistics needed for planning of future social programs as well as for provision of the targeted social services to families and children at risk of poverty for 10 participants in total (MSPY employees, social welfare experts, CSW experts and other social services providers)
Activities linked to Result 3
Activity 3.1 Collecting data on families and children at risk of poverty and including the collected data into the upgraded data base
Activity 3.2 Testing of the prepared poverty indicators through collecting data based on the Checklist and preparing corresponding report
Activity 3.3 Organizing and conducting training10 for 80 participants in total (social, education, health and other services providers) in order to strengthen their capacities for identification families at risk of poverty
Activity 3.4 Establishing coordination structure11 at local level (in at least 2 communities) and organizing and conducting relevant training for 10 participants
Activity 3.5 Testing12 the work of the established coordination structures through joint work, joint meetings, supervision, guidance and other tools
Activity 3.6 Preparing recommendations for future establishment and sustainability of the coordination structures in other communities, including recommendations for improvements of the functioning of the established coordination structures
Activities linked to Result 4
Activity 4.1 Conducting analysis of at least 20 programs for increasing cultural capital and decreasing risk of poverty and preparing report with recommendations for improvements in order to provide support for improvement of the existing community based programs or develop new social programs in regions where they are not available
Activity 4.2 Organizing and conducting training for 5 social welfare and other relevant experts on development and improvement of social programs
Activity 4.3 Developing at least 2 social programs for increasing cultural capital and decreasing risk of poverty (especially children)
Activity 4.4 Developing evaluation methodology, testing and evaluating the implementation of the developed social programs (e.g. supervision during the period of 6 months) and preparing corresponding report
Activity 4.5 Preparing Guidelines for Development and Implementation of Social Programs (to be used in other communities)
Activity 4.6 Preparing, printing and disseminating at least 60 brochures (in Croatian language) on experiences gained and good practices learnt during testing phase of implementation of social programs
Activity 4.7 Organising and conducting at least 4 regional workshops/round tables for 60 social and other service providers in total (15 participants per each workshop/round table) on experiences gained and good practices learnt during testing phase of implementation of social programs
Activities linked to Result 5
Activity 5.1 Conducting analysis of the current monitoring and evaluation system and preparing report with recommendations for improvements
Activity 5.2 Developing framework for monitoring and evaluation process of social programs
Activity 5.3 Organizing and conducting training on monitoring and evaluation process of social programs for 15 experts13 from the social welfare system at national and local level
Activity 5.4 Developing IT system for monitoring and evaluation of social programs compatible with relevant data bases
Activity 5.5 Evaluation of at least 20 social programs (2 newly developed and 18 existing programs) on the basis of the data collected from at least 100 services and preparing report with recommendations for improvements
Minimum two visibility events will be organized in the course of the implementation of the project; Kick-off meeting at the start of the implementation and the Final meeting at the end of the implementation of the project activities.
3.5 Means/ Input from the MS Partner Administration:
MS Project Leader may participate in the project also as the short-term expert (STE) and in this case the MS Project Leader should satisfy requirements stipulated in the fiche for both the Project Leader and the relevant STE profile.
3.5.1 Profile and tasks of the Project Leader
Profile of the Project Leader
Requirements:
University level education or equivalent professional experience of 10 years in the field of social
welfare
Minimum 5 years of experience in the field of social welfare
Working level of English language
Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under
Twinning Manual 5.4.5
Computer literacy
Experience in project management
Assets:
Experience in the field of family and child protection
Experience in implementation of international projects in the field of social welfare
Tasks of the Project Leader:
Overall coordination and co-managing the implementation of the project in cooperation with the
BC Project Leader
Ensuring sound implementation of the envisaged activities and, if necessary, proposing remedial
actions
Coordinating the MS experts’ work and availability
Ensuring backstopping and financial management of the project in the MS
Providing efficient leadership of the project
Participation in Steering Committee meetings
Project reporting
3.5.2 Profile and tasks of the RTA
Profile of the Resident Twinning Adviser
Requirements:
University level education or equivalent professional experience of 10 years in the field of social
welfare
Minimum 3 years of experience in the field of social welfare
Experience in development or implementation of social programs
Working level of English language
Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under
Twinning Manual 5.4.5
Computer literacy
Experience in project management
Assets:
Experience in the field of family and child protection
Experience in statistical analysis in the field of social welfare
Experience in policy analysis in the field of social welfare
Experience in monitoring and evaluation of social programs
Experience in capacity building activities
Tasks of the Resident Twinning Adviser:
Support and coordination of all activities in the BC
Day to day management of the project in the beneficiary institution
Coordination of the short-term experts activities
Monitoring project implementation and proposing corrective actions, if required
Organization of visibility events (kick-off and final event)
Providing technical advice on EU policies and the best EU practices, and assisting Croatian
administration in the context of project work plan
Executing administrative issues (e.g. assisting in reporting)
Organization of PIU and Steering Committee meetings
The duration of the RTA secondment is 18 months.
3.5.3 Profile and tasks of the short-term experts
For each of the proposed experts in the submitted proposal the Member State(s) is kindly requested to
indicate the expert’s profile.
Profile of the Short-term expert 1 (STE 1) – Social welfare expert
Requirements:
University level education or equivalent professional experience of 8 years in the field of social
welfare
Minimum 3 years of experience in the field of social welfare
Working level of English language
Computer literacy
Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under
Twinning Manual 5.4.5
Assets:
Experience in the field of family and child protection
Experience in statistical analysis in the field of social welfare
Experience in policy analysis in the field of social welfare
Experience in preparing policy documents in the field of child protection
Experience in development and/or implementation of social programs
Experience in monitoring and conducting assessments of social programs
Experience in capacity building activities related to social policy or social protection
Tasks of the Short-term expert 1:
Conducting analysis of national documentation, social services, programs, indicators of poverty
and preparing corresponding report
Organizing/conducting research on poverty of school-age children and their families and
preparing corresponding report
Developing the poverty indicators and the Checklist
Organizing and conducting public debate
Developing training programs and training materials
Organizing and conducting trainings, workshops and round tables
Collecting data, testing poverty indicators and preparing corresponding report
Establishing coordination structures at local level
Testing the work of the coordination structures through joint meetings, supervision, guidance and
other tools
Preparing recommendations for future establishment and sustainability of the coordination
structures
Analysing of social programs and preparing corresponding report
Developing social programs and evaluation methodology, testing/evaluating the developed social
programs and preparing corresponding report
Preparing Guidelines for Development and Implementation of Social Programs
Preparing brochures
Analysing of the current monitoring and evaluation system and preparing corresponding report
Developing framework for monitoring and evaluation process of social programs
Evaluating social programs and preparing corresponding report
Participating in other relevant project activities in cooperation with other short-term experts
Profile of the Short-term expert 2 (STE 2) – IT expert
Requirements:
University level education or equivalent professional experience of 8 years in the field of IT
Minimum 3 years of experience in the field of IT software development
Working level of English language
Computer literacy
Proven contractual relation to public administration or mandated body, as defined under
Twinning Manual 5.4.5
N.B.
In line with the point 2.3 of the Twinning Manual 2012 (Update 2013-2014) activities under the point 3.4 of the Twinning fiche for which relevant IT experience is required may be implemented through private sector input in case the Member State(s) does not have at disposal public sector expert(s) with the required expertise for implementing the mentioned activity.
Assets:
Experience in IT software development in the field of social welfare
Experience in conducting training
Tasks of the Short-term expert 2:
Conducting analyses of the existing data base of the MSPY and preparing corresponding report
Upgrading data base
Developing IT system for monitoring and evaluation of social programs
Preparing training programs/materials and conducting training
Participating in other relevant project activities in cooperation with other short-term experts
Note:
The pool of experts should include:
- At least one short-term expert who in addition to the respective profile requirements has experience in development and/or implementation of social programs for socially vulnerable groups
- At least one short-term expert who in addition to the respective profile requirements has experience in the field of family and child protection
- At least one short-term expert who in addition to the respective profile requirements has experience in monitoring and/or conducting assessment of social programs
- At least one short-term expert who in addition to the respective profile requirements has experience in statistical analysis
4. Institutional Framework
The main project beneficiary is the Ministry of Social Policy and Youth (MSPY) which will be in charge of the overall project coordination. In addition, social welfare institutions and other local service providers will participate in the project implementation and benefit from the project.
Three services within the MSPY that will be acting as the main beneficiaries, ensuring regular support to project implementation, as well as coordination and implementation through the project cycle are as
follows:
Service for Social Policy (5 employees)
Service for Children and Youth (5 employees)
Service for the Support to Centres for Social Welfare (15 employees).
In addition to above listed, Service for International Cooperation and European Union (namely, Department for EU funds Programme Implementation with its 4 employees) will provide technical support to the project implementation and coordinate the project activities.
Moreover, Centres for Social Welfare (CSW) will among local social services providers benefit the most from the project implementation. The Republic of Croatia is the founder of the CSWs and the MSPY is responsible ministry for the network of social welfare institutions. In the Republic of Croatia, there are 80 CSWs and 38 branch offices. As public institutions, their main tasks include implementation of social services and benefits. They have more than 140 public authorities, defined by different acts, such as Family Act, Foster Care Act, General Administrative Procedure Act, etc. They decide on social welfare rights and provide social services to vulnerable groups, such as children without parents, children without adequate parental care, children with disabilities, children and youth with behavior problems, the disabled, the elderly and infirm, persons under guardianship, victims of domestic violence, families at risk, o poor and other persons due to unfavorable personal or family difficulties are not able to meet their basic needs.
The project results will not lead to a change of the institutional framework as described.
The beneficiary institution will dedicate all necessary human and financial resources in order to guarantee an effective implementation of the respective project. In particular, the beneficiary institution will insure the availability of the following provisions:
Adequately equipped office space for the RTA and the RTA assistant for the entire duration of their secondment (in particular a desk, a telephone line, PC with e-mail account and internet access, possibility to use fax & copy services)
Adequate conditions for the STEs to perform their work while on mission to the BC
Training and conference venues as well as presentation and interpretation equipment
Costs for travel by BC participants from their capitals to a MS or between MS (study visits)
Its active involvement in preparation of the PIU and Steering Committee meetings and
participation of its members on the same
The availability of the BC human resources (BC experts) during the implementation of the
activities.
5. Budget
Strengthening institutional capacity in social welfare system to improve social welfare targeting and reducing poverty (CRO REDPOV)
Transition Facility Contribution
TOTAL
National Co-financing
Twinning Contract
95% 1.045.000,00 EUR
5% 55.000,00 EUR
1.100.000,00 EUR
The total amounts of the Transition Facility Contribution and National Co-financing stipulated in the above table represent the total maximum amounts and therefore, they may be reduced at the level of the Twinning contract, while the relevant ratio (percentages) should be maintained as fixed.
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The co-financing requirement foreseen under Transition Facility will be considered fulfilled according to the provision of the relevant Financing Decision.
Interpretation costs will be reimbursed from the budget only for the purpose of workshops and seminars, up to 7% of the Contract amount can be used for translation and interpretation purposes.
In addition to the above-mentioned, provisions in the total amount of 42.352,00 EUR may be included in the budget for the following purposes:
Conducting research (e.g. field data collection, entering collected data into relevant statistical database, preparing a report on research methodology and providing descriptive statistical analyses of the results) – 38.102,00 EUR (Activity 1.2)
Printing of at least 2.000 Checklists - 4.000,00 EUR (Activity 1.5)
Printing of at least 60 brochures - 250,00 EUR (Activity 4.5).
6. Implementation Arrangements
6.1 Implementing Agency responsible for tendering, contracting and accounting:
Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA) Ulica grada Vukovara 284, Objekt C
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Mr Tomislav Petric, Director
Phone: +385 1 6042 400
Fax: +385 1 6042 598 E-mail: procurement@safu.hr
Twinning Administrative Office
Central Finance and Contracting Agency Ulica grada Vukovara 284, Objekt C 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ms Nirvana Sokolovski, Twinning NCP Phone: +385 1 6042 400
Fax: +385 1 6042 598
E-mail: twinning@safu.hr
6.2 Main counterpart in the BC:
Ms Diana Topčić-Rosenberg, Assistant Minister Ministry of Social Policy and Youth
Trg Nevenke Topalušić 1
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Phone: +385 1 5557 036
Fax: +385 1 5557 228
E-mail: diana.topcicrosenberg@mspm.hr
Project Leader Counterpart
Ms Dubravka Marušić, Head of Sector for Social Policy and Policy for Children, Youth and Family Ministry of Social Policy and Youth
Trg Nevenke Topalušić 1
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
RTA Counterpart
Interpretation costs will be reimbursed from the budget only for the purpose of workshops and seminars, up to 7% of the Contract amount can be used for translation and interpretation purposes.
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Ms Katica Lažeta, Head of Service for Social Policy Ministry of Social Policy and Youth
Trg Nevenke Topalušić 1
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
6.3 Contracts:
It is envisaged that the Project will be implemented through one Twinning Contract with the maximum amount of 1.100.000,00 EUR.
7. Implementation Schedule (indicative)
7.1 Launching of the call for proposals: 2Q 201614
7.2 Start of project activities: 1Q 2017
7.3 Project completion: 2Q 2018
7.4 Duration of the execution period (number of months): 21 months; the execution period will end 3 months after the implementation period of the Action (work plan) which will take 18 months.
8. Sustainability
In order to achieve the maximum sustainability and impact of the results, all project activities will be implemented in close cooperation between the Twinning partners. Activities in the implementation will be fine-tuned according to the current situation, having in mind future sustainability of all results.
In the long run, implementation of this project will contribute to improvement of targeting of social programmes, which will also contribute to child poverty prevention, reduction of poverty and increased social inclusion of disadvantaged groups. The Twinning project will have a strong impact on experts working in the social welfare sector, who will participate in the most of the project activities. They will further contribute to early identification of persons at the highest risk of poverty, and to development of coherent and effective measures for poverty reduction. They also have main role in bringing together other services providers (education, health, housing, justice, employment and culture). This is vital for providing measures and programmes that depend on effective cooperation between different services. Also, investment in knowledge and skills, acquired through trainings, will be used in the future, as the dissemination of knowledge is one of the best ways to sustain project results. Trained experts will further disseminate the obtained knowledge.
Poverty indicators, programmes and monitoring framework developed through this project will ensure long term sustainability of activities as they will be used in everyday work of employees of social work centres and other stakeholders included in operation activities. This operation will also promote further development and implementation of social programmes targeting children and their families in areas lacking these services. Coordination structures established at the local level will offer organizational sustainability. Furthermore, quality monitoring and evaluation framework set through this project will allow better planning, improvement of existing social programmes and the development of the new ones. All project activities and results achieved will be presented at visibility events and relevant project outputs will be published on the MSPY’s web-page.
9. Crosscutting issues
Based on the fundamental principles of promoting equality and combating discrimination, participation in the project will be guaranteed on the basis of equal access regardless of gender, but also racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
10. Conditionality and sequencing
N/A
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