The government has approved a draft amendment to 19 legislative acts to implement the reform of the "Restart" social assistance system.
The bill represents the first step in the implementation of the social assistance reform, which was launched in the spring of 2023 to promote respect for the right to protection and social assistance of vulnerable segments of the Moldovan population and ensure equal and fair access of the population to quality social services. The reform provides for the creation, starting from October 1, 2023, of territorial social assistance bodies with territorial structures (except for Chisinau municipality and ATU Gagauzia). In total, 9 territorial agencies will be created, which will manage 33 territorial structures of social protection (in each region of the country). The number of employees of the central office of territorial agencies will remain at the current level - 545 people. The remaining measures provided for by the bill will be implemented from January 1, 2024. In particular, the following measures are envisaged: the transfer of functions in the field of social assistance from local public administration authorities of II level to territorial social assistance authorities (we are talking about 350 social services); regulation of the role of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population in organizing the activities of territorial bodies of social assistance; increasing the professional qualifications of workers in the social assistance system; reorganization of the Population Support Fund and the National Agency for Social Assistance, as well as changes in the procedure for financing social assistance. Three functions will be introduced in the social assistance system: in each of the 33 districts, one adviser (family counselor, as well as for victims of domestic violence, etc.) and one specialist in the protection of the rights of the child will work, and they will also be employed, including through transfer 900 social assistants from existing positions. In total, it is planned to maintain the current number of specialists in the social assistance system - 10,074 staff units. The implementation of the Restart reform in 2023 will require 117 million lei - they will be used to create territorial social assistance agencies (abbreviation in Romanian ATAS), in 2024 - 240.1 million lei. In the future, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection will prepare additional amendments to the legislation to ensure the digitalization of the social assistance system, ensuring integrity in the system, professional provision of quality services, etc. //19.07.2023 – InfoMarket.
