Review article
https://doi.org/10.31297/hkju.18.1.2
Social Services for Migrants: The Case of Serbia
Ana Čekerevac
orcid.org/0000-0003-1371-5251
; redovna profesorica na Fakultetu političkih znanosti, Sveučilište u Beogradu, Srbija
Natalija Perišić
; (izvanredna profesorica na Fakultetu političkih znanosti, Sveučilište u Beogradu, Srbija
Jelena Tanasijević
; voditeljica praktične nastave na Fakultetu političkih znanosti, Sveučilište u Beogradu, Srbija
Abstract
The paper focuses on current global migration trends and their reflections on Serbia’s social services. Serbia has been a transit country for migrants from the MENA region on their way to the European Union. Their stay has been shortterm and social services have been organised accordingly. Both the public and the civil sector at the national and local level have been strongly involved in providing support to ensure migrant welfare. The public sector has provided services regarding migrant registration, accommodation and transit, as well as social support to migrants generally, and particularly to victims of violence and
underage children. On top of this, cash welfare benefits have been disbursed to eligible migrants. The civil sector has provided urgent and humanitarian aid, medical aid, legal support and advocacy, psychosocial support, child protection, educational support, and has strengthened the capacities of the public welfare system. Along with strengths and opportunities, social services in these sectors face certain micro-level challenges. These are identified within the current and expected deficiencies of migrant social services – there is a need for greater
housing capacity, more professionals in the field, greater support with a view to integrating children into the educational system, and the like. Cooperation between the sectors is seen to present a challenge at the meso-level. However, it seems that cooperation between the civil and the public sector is quite good, while state support policy and financial measures could pave the way to even better cooperation. Finally, there is the macro-level challenge of the changed nature of the national welfare state and its decline. This is the framework within which
social services need to operate.
Keywords
civil sector; migrants; migration; public sector; social services
Hrčak ID:
197178
URI
Publication date:
28.3.2018.
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