Workshop 1.6 - Deutscher Verein für öffentliche und private Fürsorge

Users participation in social assistance schemes in Romania
Carmen Ileana Manu, Head of Service, Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity, Romania
1. National context
The reform of the social assistance system in Romania began in the early 1990s. Following the public discussion, the main strategic
directions adopted by the state within the social assistance system, were especially oriented in favour of the family and children support,
also having in view the improvement of the quality life of all citizens. The first legislative regulations were focused on introducing
family allowances, social aids and that means tested benefits for the poorest persons and development of care services provided by
residential institutions for children, disabled and elderly persons.
In Romania the transition process from the centralized economy to market economy was accompanied by negative consequences such
as economical decreasing, reducing of employees and jobs, difficulties in the development of agriculture which caused that a part of
the people can not any more satisfy their life necessity by their own efforts.
The present situation of poverty, the high vulnerability of more citizens to the actual socio-economical conditions generated profound
expectations within the Romanian population so the state took the initiative and supports efficient measures in favor of the poorest.
In this context, social policy is faced with several major challenges:
• the need to adapt social assistance to a philosophy compatible with active labour market policies;
• promoting personal independence and family responsibilities rather than encouraging dependency on state and institutional provision;
• the need to introduce more efficient systems of management and a better targeting of existing cash benefits;
• the need for transparency, accountability and greater public involvement in social policy, notably by enhancing responsibilities of local
authorities and non governmental organizations.
A more appropriately targeted system is now needed to provide the necessary safety net during transition to a market economy.
The social policies developed by the Romanian government are now oriented on a radical change concerning the matters of poverty and
social exclusion. The pattern promoted is based on the balance between competition, cooperation and solidarity. To create the minimum
conditions for citizens to participate effectively in the social life, it is necessary to grant enough resources in parallel with the increasing
of individual responsibility.
The family allowances were set up on the basic principles of cohesion and social solidarity, having a non-contributive character and
expressing a passive measures package for the children and their families.
The family allowances financed from the state budget:
- The state allowance for children based on the principle of universality, is granted to all children under 16 or 18 years of age if they
are enrolled in one type of education established by the law. The state allowance is granted on a monthly basis, in a fixed amount, no
matter the revenues of the family. For disabled children the amount of the allowance is increased by 100 %.
- The supplementary allowance is granted to families, who have two or more children up to 16 or 18 years enrolled in one form of
education. The supplementary allowance is granted on a monthly basis, in a different amount depending on the number of the children in
a family.
- The foster care allowance for children, is granted on monthly basis for each minor protected through placement measures.
- The allowance for newborn children is granted to mothers, once, for each of the first four children newborn alive. The allowance
can also be granted to the legal representative of the child when the mother cannot benefit by this right.
There are other benefits such as the allowance for disabled people and pensions for blind persons, also supported from the state budget.
The present legislation also provides:
- social aids such as: emergency aids, measures for supporting people during wintertime, support for heating of dwellings, monthly
social aid for wives of men performing mandatory military service if they have no or low revenues; other supporting measures for
different situations or recipients such as: school supplies, in order to stimulate school attendance, granted to students in public schools,
social canteens to provide food for people being in difficult situations because of their social problems or health status, payments for
caregivers of disabled people, payments for residential homes of elderly persons without families and with a low income, food
allowance in order to improve the quality of the diet in hostels, shelters or other centers for dependent elderly persons or persons with
disabilities, financial aid for refugees who are entitled to a reimbursable aid for a period of at most 9 months;
- microcredit-programs financed through public funds and managed by credit agencies, who disburse credits up to 10,000 Euro to
enterpreneurs with low financial ressources in order to promote small and family enterprises.
During the recent years, one of the Romanian government priorities was to set up proper intervention measures for the protection of
children in difficult situations, starting with the implementation of programs focused on: the prevention of abandonment the development
of alternative services, encouraging child care in substitute families.
In order to sustain the development of social services, the Romanian government decided to provide financial support for non-governmental
organizations, from the state and local budget, giving subsidies for each assisted person, according to settled criteria established
by legislation.
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