The Government of Moldova is reforming its system of social service provision so that it diversifies its range of services to take into account individual need and increases its overall coverage of the population. The Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child (MSPFC) has developed an Integrated Strategy for Social Services (ISSS) which is undergoing an approval process. The strategy envisages a refocusing of services away from highly specialised facilities to more appropriate community-based and preventative services, in line with Moldova's international commitments. This includes a scaling-down or phasing-out of some specialised institutions, as agreed in the government's deinstitutionalisation strategy of 2007, and a strengthening of the new national network of social assistants and other local services.
The strategy takes into account the ongoing process of decentralisation in Moldova and so it enables local public authorities at the first and second levels (the primaria and raion) to develop services that most closely reflect the needs in their area, and by the most effective and efficient means possible, under the guidance of the overall framework for social services provided by the MSPFC. The ISSS will therefore place significant demands on raion Social Assistance and Family Protection Departments (SAFPDs), who will have to change the mix of services provided and the way they deliver them.
An organisational assessment of raion SAFPDs has been carried out to enhance the MSPFC's understanding of current practices and constraints in raion SAFPDs. The aim is to inform the drafting of legislation and regulations and support the implementation of the strategy. This report presents the findings of the assessment.