Projects

In a nutshell

As integral part of the European Union’s support to the Social Inclusion Agenda in Albania (2020-2024) on increasing coverage, inclusiveness and effectiveness of social care services, the project aims at providing inclusive education and employment opportunities in the country. Fiscal and administrative public services and functions are currently being delegated and deconcentrated to new regional bodies (employment and inclusive education) and local governments (social care services). The project therefore has a national, a regional and local dimension. It will support and build capacity in key institutions in the fields of social protection and social care services; it will promote inclusive education, with a focus on pre-university education and vocational education and training (VET); and it will help to create increased employment opportunities. It will also support the coordination of the reform agenda, specifically with regards to:

• improving accessibility and quality of integrated social care services at the local level
• promoting social inclusion in employment and employability for youth, men and women
• enhancing inclusive quality learning and promote educational attainment in pre-university education for all girls and boys - with a special focus on children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Our approach

• Establish a functional integrated system of social and community care social services in local government units: associate the National Electronic Register of Social Care Services (NERCS) at central and local levels with standardised functional classification, stock and flow, case management, workflow and workload management capabilities; establish Needs Assessment and Referral Units (NARUs) in municipalities to meet needs and increase the number of municipalities with Local Social Care Plans; expand the network of integrated social services nation-wide, increased coverage, professionalization and diversification of services, as well as, improved standards and access of citizens to services. Value added: targeting complex needs and ensuring that vulnerable citizens do not fall between the cracks of various systems.
• Financial and regulatory framework for modern social care practice and standards: building models for financing social care service provision, revise frameworks for procurement of social care services and operationalisation of the Social Fund to support local governments establishing and funding new social care services in a long-term perspective. Create a transparent, accountable and efficient system for modern management of social services as well as an outsourced managed-market for social services provided by CSOs, based on agreed structural and functional standards and financial costs, in addition to services delivered directly by local and central government levels.
• Enhance capacities of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MEYS) and other stakeholders for the implementation of inclusive education framework in order to enhance the inclusion of pupils in mandatory education in urban, rural and remote areas; expansion of the network of teaching support, psychological and social work services to schools and; expand services and conditions for reducing risks of exclusion and drop out of boys and girls; Improve competencies and skills of teaching staff and school personnel in inclusive quality learning in pre-university education. These measures will support the new Agency for Quality Assurance in Pre-University Education (ASCAP) in better planning systems for delivering inclusive education in accordance with EU standards and in providing a better range of quality assurance and inspection functions closer to schools and communities.
• Increase inclusion in the labour market and employability of youth, women and men and populations at-risk of exclusion: develop service model that increases outreach of labour market measures to excluded and vulnerable groups, with particular attention to people with disabilities; creation of conditions for fostering employment and reducing discriminatory practices in the workplace as part of new models for promoting decent employment. It will result in adjusted systems for expansion of employment services, fostering models of cooperation with local government units and investment into Employment Promotion Programmes (EPPs) to populations at risk of exclusion, in order to to reduce dependence on cash assistance improved social integration for female and male jobseekers.
• Extend VET offer to all municipalities (including rural areas) and to the most at risk groups, addressing skill gaps and create revised VET courses and new qualifications; improve access for people with disabilities; train and employ marginalised and disadvantaged women and men, including Roma and people with disabilities; upgrade VET providers with new and adopted VET curricula for rural economies.
• Enhance policy dialogue and coordination, monitoring and evaluation.