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https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v10i1.140
Decentralisation of Social Services Model Outline
Vlado Puljiz
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Gojko Bežovan
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Zoran Šućur
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Siniša Zrinščak
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Nino Žganec
; Studijski centar socijalnog rada, Pravni fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu
Ana Balaband
; Ministarstvo rada i socijalne skrbi Republike Hrvatske
Abstract
The Republic of Croatia has a markedly centralised system of social care and thus of social services. Centralisation was mainly caused by war and transition to market economy that substantially increased poverty and other forms of social handicaps of the population. Today, in changed and to an extent stabilised circumstances, the need for reform of the system of social services is necessarily imposed. The reforms should enable the users to become the subjects of the system of social care instead of objects. That means that their needs should be articulated in the local community and that users should participate in the creation and application of social programmes on equal terms with other actors. Decentralisation implicitly includes local social planning, pluralism of social policy actors and active role of users. In order to realise their programmes, social services must horizontally connect with employment, health protection, education and justice systems. It is understandable that there are still powerful obstacles to the decentralisation of social services, but also there are significant incentives for the decentralisation that are mentioned in this document. The decentralisation should be implemented gradually, with the application in experimental units and by promoting the good practice. That will help to find adequate solutions. In a summarised form we suggest the distribution of basic authorities between the three levels of decision-making in the system of social services: central level, county level and the level of cities and municipalities, as well as the directions of future changes.
Keywords
social services; decentralisation; redistribution of authority; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
30128
URI
Publication date:
1.1.2003.
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