It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to today's meeting, which gives us the opportunity to exchange views on the new Social Welfare Services State Grants Scheme, which includes the provision of government sponsorship for the establishment of Multipurpose Children's Centres and Child Care Centres and care and residential facilities for children, adolescents with behavioural disorders and adults with long-term care needs.
The new Plan has been adapted to be in line with the Recovery and Resilience Plan "Cyprus_Tomorrow" which is the legacy of the Nicos Anastasiades Government, but also to respond to the Government's comprehensive plan for the creation of a caring, progressive and developing state. The main mission of the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare is to implement policies that support and empower vulnerable groups of the population, focusing on children, women, people with disabilities and the elderly. Through targeted actions, we ensure citizens' access to inclusive welfare and care services to improve their daily lives.
To this end, we are also implementing the new Plan, through which we are investing an amount of €23,725,000 to be granted to Non-Governmental Organisations and Local Authorities, in order to create at least 27 Multipurpose Centres for Children aged 0 to 4 years and 6 to 13 years, as well as Childcare Centres for Children aged 0 to 4 years. With a time horizon for the completion of the project in the first half of 2026 and an intermediate target of creating initially 10 structures by the end of 2024, our aim is to strengthen the welfare state, promoting social inclusion and well-being. Note that 10 structures is not limiting us, and our aim is, if feasible, to move towards developing more structures as an interim target.
With the aim of allocating resources as properly as possible, the mapping of existing structures has already started, by an external expert, which will highlight areas where there are gaps in service provision and help target investments where and when there is a real need.
With the new Social Welfare Services State Grants Scheme, we aim to strengthen the social support network for children and people with long-term care needs. To achieve this objective and to strengthen the welfare state, in addition to the role of the State in promoting initiatives and supervising them, we consider necessary the activation and involvement of Non-Governmental Organizations and Local Authorities, as social partners of the State. We are convinced that the inclusion of Local Authorities and NGOs in the policies we promote, acts as a catalyst in our efforts to strengthen local communities and ensure the required services for people with real care needs.
Moreover, our partnership with Municipalities, Community Councils and voluntary organisations is ongoing and long-lasting and this is reflected in the data: since 2015 when the budget for subsidising care programmes in Communities and Municipalities was €6.4 million, the amount has more than doubled and for 2022 it is expected to exceed €14.5 million. In addition, aiming to continuously upgrade the institution of State Grants to meet the needs of citizens, we have succeeded in increasing the programs offered compared to 2021, with the approval of 16 new programs in 2022.
At the same time, interrelated objectives of the Government, through the implementation of the Plan, are to increase labour market access opportunities, especially for women, to upgrade and empower mountainous and remote areas through mapping the actual gaps, and to provide equal inclusion and integration of all children and adults with long-term care needs into care services.
Dear Friends,
The wellbeing, care and safeguarding of the rights of children, young people and adults in need of long-term care is an investment in the future of our country. The Anastasiades Government has set high in its plans and recognises that ensuring adequate care services is interlinked with a number of other strategies, such as the National Mountain Development Strategy, labour market integration and unemployment reduction, strategic planning for older people, policy for people with disabilities, etc.
Your presence here today demonstrates your interest in safeguarding the well-being of our fellow citizens. Before giving the floor to the Director of Social Welfare Services for a more extensive presentation of the Plan, I would like to thank you warmly for your participation and wish you a constructive dialogue to shape the final Plan in the best interest of the affected population groups.
_____________
Note.: The archive of the presentation by the Director of Social Welfare Services is available here.
(MCI)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
