Moldova is reforming the social assistance sector under the Restart reform in order to improve the quality of and access to social services.
In particular, this is stipulated by a relevant draft law passed by the Parliament on Thursday in the second reading. This is the implementation of the social assistance reform, aimed at ensuring uniform and equitable access to quality social services for the vulnerable population. The document, generally known as the Restart reform, was developed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. It represents the first step in the implementation of the Restart reform and envisages amendments to 19 laws. In particular, territorial social assistance bodies will be created and the minimum package of social services will be changed, which at the current stage is financed in a fragmented manner and does not cover the needs of the population. The nomenclature of social services will be revised to better define their categories. The draft law also provides for assessment of the need and planning of social assistance services at the district level, development of a comprehensive information system, and development of standards for the cost of social services. It is also planned to revise the mechanism of remuneration of social assistance specialists and to develop a system of their continuous professional training. The National Social Assistance Agency will be reorganized into the Agency for Highly Specialized Social Services Management. It is planned that following the implementation of the relevant draft law, more people will receive social services due to the improvement of financing mechanisms and budget planning. At the same time, similar social services will have the same cost in any region of the country, and recipients will be able to access social assistance through an online platform. // 17.08.2023 - InfoMarket.
