Albania Pursuing social policies based on community needs

Project : Albania 19 May 2011 | child rights prevention protection systems roma

Fier, Albania, 29 April 2011: – “Children’s issues cannot be addressed in isolation from other local issues. For example, a program that addresses the issue of domestic violence against women will quite likely have an impact on children and their well-being and protection. Specific measures to protect children at risk or in need will quite likely require the involvement of a diverse range of actors, such as the family, the school, the court, the local social services department, the local police, etc. It is therefore crucial that local government identifies and takes into consideration the entire complexity of issues faced by different vulnerable groups in order to design and formulate local plans of actions that enable the implementation of social programs and services that are appropriate, complementary and cost-effective,” said Mr. Shefki Lika, Head of the Municipal Social Services in Elbasan during a roundtable meeting between local government representatives from Fier, Elbasan and Vlora, of the respective Municipality and Qark (Regional Administrative Area) levels.

Terre des hommes has been supporting this initative of Fier Qark and Fier Municipality to bring together local government officials representing 3 different municipalities and 3 administrative regions to share and discuss best practices and experiences in relation to the process of drafting their respective Social Area Plans. Elbasan’s positive experience with the Social Area Plan dates back to 2001 when the idea of establishing Regional Needs Assessment and Planning Committees was first proposed. These committees play an invaluable role in identifying specific needs in the community and serving as forums of consultation amongst different stakeholders for better planning and provision of local and regional social services that target the most vulnerable.

The Social Area Plan enables local government to formulate an all-inclusive strategy for implementing appropriate social policies and pursuing various local projects in areas and communities where these services are needed the most. This is done in coordination with a number of different public and non-public service providers in order to create and establish an integrated system of social policy responses that are suitable to the local context. In a sense, the Social Area Plan presents an overall picture of the existing services in the region, whilst also mapping out the areas for intervention in terms of establishing new services or strengthening the existing ones depending on the local needs. The process requires the collection of vital data and information through needs assessments conducted at local level; it enables local communes and municipalities to better budget their human and financial resources through a participatory approach, and it allows them to draft and submit concrete project proposals that can be financed with funds raised through donors and/or local taxes with Qark’s coordination. Local non-public organizations working on issues that represent the interests of children, women, people with disabilities, Roma and Egyptian minorities and other vulnerable groups are also an important part of this process in terms of identifying needs and implementing projects in close cooperation with the various local government structures.

“The process of drafting a good Social Area Plan depends on the commitment of the local institutions and the civic responsibilities of all of us to respond to the needs of our community in an inclusive and equitable way so that everyone can benefit from and access quality local services. The needs of the most vulnerable groups, in particular children, can be addressed properly only if all local actors cooperate together and coordinate their actions in an effective fashion,” observed the Head of Regional Social Services at Elbasan Qark, Mr. Blendi Gremi.

Indeed, cooperation, coordination and timely exchange of information between different actors were highlighted as key challenges by the Vlora Qark representative, Ms. Xhuljeta Kume who presented of the Regional Strategy for Children in Vlora, supported by UNICEF Albania. Other challenges raised and discussed in the course of the roundtable meeting included: lack of specialized services, limited geographical distribution of services, overlapping of social policies and projects, limited funds and other resources, the need to further build the capacities of local social administrators, etc.

The Head of Regional Social Services in Fier, Mr. Astrit Hysi noted that the knowledge exchange meeting was a good opportunity to learn from the experiences of other regions in drafting their Social Area Plans in close cooperation with the local municipalities and communes under their territorial jurisdiction. In this context, Hysi expressed that Fier’s commitment to pursue “social policies that are product of a harmonized and coordinated approach between local actors at commune, municipality and regional levels in order to better serve children and other vulnerable groups in the community in the future.” [TL]