Community Center "Progress", City of Kostenets, Region of Sofia
Administrative Legal Service Center for People with Disabilities and Elderly - Kostenets
Project implementation assured access to complex of information services for people with disabilities and elderly in Kostenets Municipality. The project designs separate job position situated in the Club for People with Disabilities and Elderly. The Social Consultant visited little populated parts in the municipality where he provided information and services to elderly and people with disabilities. For 5 months the consultant provided services to over 200 people.
Background
People with disabilities and elderly in little populated parts do not have the opportunity to use most information services in regard to pension, health and social insurances and related social services. Many people meet difficulties in filling in application forms, submitting documents for using their social rights, many people do not know which institution responsible for their specific needs and requirements is. Great amount of information and services are provided by various state and municipal institutions - municipal administration, Social Services Department, Bureau of Labor Department, health institutions. Because of the scattered situation of institutions providing social services, customers put additional efforts, time and resources in order to receive these services. Responds to inquires concerning health and pension insurances could be found only in the City of Sofia in respective institutions. Even more difficult is the access to information in little populated parts such as Kostenets Municipality and Villages of Pchelin, Gorna Vassilitsa, Podgorie, Ochusha that are remote from the municipal center.
Lack of municipal customer service center raised the idea to establish separate service center that will work independently from mentioned institutions and will provide complex of information and technical services in all fields of social legislation and will support representatives of both target groups in their communications with central and local governments.
Within project implementation an office was equipped with computer configuration, telephone post and Internet access. The office was situated in the Club for People with Disabilities and Elderly. In the data base were gathered most of the necessary application forms provided by the municipal administration and Social Services Department. The rest application forms were downloaded from the web sites of related state institutions, on-line legislation data base was installed.
Selection procedure among unemployed people, registered in the Bureau of Labor, was conducted in order to hire suitable person for the job vacancy. The hired person was trained for one month by municipal experts for acquiring knowledge and skills in providing social services.
Information brochure was disseminated in order to acquaint community with the newly provided services.
A research was carried out and a list with the 20 most demanded social services was prepared. These services were related to providing information about insurances and rights for people with limited work abilities, terms of monthly support for heating and tax concessions for people with disabilities, right for free rehabilitation and spa medication, verifications concerning social and health insurances, submitting application forms etc.
The center began to operate in the beginning of January 2006; its activity was of five month duration. Within this period 230 people with disabilities and elderly were provided with social services.
Within the project 7 visits average per month were conducted in little populated parts of the municipality Momin Prohod neighborhood and the Villages of Kostenets, Pchelin, Podgorie, Ochusha and Gorna Vassilitsa. People saved time and resources; their access to information was facilitated.
Municipality of Kostenets, Social Services Department, Bureau of Labor Department, all municipal clubs for people with disabilities and elderly were active participants in project implementation and monitored the work of the consultant.
At the end of the project an inquiry was conducted. It researched on project benefits. According to the report made Municipality of Kostenets should fund the center activity by the municipal budget.
1. Pilot project was implemented; it was designed to build working system for providing complex of information and consultative services for people with disabilities and elderly and to facilitate their access to information, to save them time and resources.
2. 230 people received consultation concerning their social rights.
3. Both target groups enhanced their level of information in regard to social benefits.
4. New social service is being provided within Municipality of Kostenets focused on both target groups.
5. Equality is assured when it comes to communication with central and local governments for representatives of both target groups and people from little populated parts.
6. Information isolation was overcome and people from both target groups take more actively part in social life of the community.
7. Temporary employment for one vacancy was created; hired consultant acquired knowledge and skills in the field of providing social services.
8. Information data base was developed concerning the 20 most demanded social services in Municipality of Kostenets, as well as concerning application forms for using social services and benefits.
Contacts
Communicyt center - Kostenets
2 Petar Beron str.
Tel. : 07142/20-61, 20-07
Slaveiko Peev
Social Services Department
Municipality of Kostenets
2 Ivan Vazov str.
Tel. : 00 359 7142/23-88, 21-32