Poverty reduction and alleviation is one of the priority objectives of the National Social Protection Strategy 2015-2020. This strategy reflects the commitments of the Albanian Government in the field of Social Protection aiming to provide quality public services to every Albanian citizen regardless of their income, origin, age, gender, ethnicity, education, sexual orientation, cultural identity, political and religious beliefs. There are three policies[1] underlying this strategy that aim to provide protection and social reintegration for people and families affected by poverty, as well as individuals in vulnerable situations: (i) Poverty reduction and alleviation, (ii) Improvement of the quality of life of persons with disabilities; (iii) Development of social care services. One of the cross cutting elements of the three policies is the link to be established between the cash payment programme and social care services which should play a key role in improving the quality of life of individuals, families and communities in need, as well as their empowerment and reintegration into the economic and social life.
The Law no. 57/2019 “On social assistance in the Republic of Albania” has conditioned the eligibility of social assistance with the registration of adult family members at the Employment Offices, and their inclusion in vocational training courses, as defined by the employment legislation. Also, the refusal of the appropriate job offer by the employment offices is the reason for their exemption of up to 1 year from the benefit of social assistance. This law in article 12 "payment of social assistance", stipulates that the social assistance is limited in time: "The time limitation of the social assistance is made according to the provisions of the decision of the Council of Ministers." For the adult family members receiving social assistance, empowerment and exit from the assistance scheme is linked with their reintegration into the labour market.
People with disabilities are another target group of social protection programme. The National Social Protection Strategy concerning this target group has set as its objective: “the creation of an integrated services system that combines social care services with cash payments, by providing an integrated package of services for persons with disabilities by 2020[2]”. The Law on the Inclusion and Accessibility of People with Disabilities guarantees their right to independent living, including access to employment. The National Disability Action Plan 2016-2020[3] has set out one of the interventions: to increase labour market participation and promote equal opportunities for decent work for people with disabilities.
The new model of social assistance that has been implemented in Albania since 2018, aims to improve targeting of poor families or individuals, increase transparency and efficiency of the programme, as well as foster links to integrated services. To address this goal, the strategy prioritises the establishment of a social care package targeting social assistance beneficiaries. In May 2018, the Government of Albania (GoA) signed an additional loan agreement with the World Bank, on the Social Assistance Modernisation Project (SAMP) committing about 11 million USD in support of improving the equity and efficiency of social assistance programmes. While the main focus of the additional loan is the reform of DA, one of the goals is to promote the social inclusion of existing NE beneficiaries during the transition period of exiting the cash assistance programme. Specifically, the additional financing will support the drafting of an exit strategy and an Action Plan for NE beneficiaries based on innovative models and international experience. The additional financing will support the development of a graduation strategy for NE beneficiaries once they reach the five-year duration limit of the benefit (as mandated by law). For the period July - August 2019 provide 60,262 households and 1,777 individuals benefiting social assistance, as well as 3,363 households receiving assistance through the 6% fund (SSS).
Two laws define the governance of the social care system in Albania. The law on social services (no. 121,2016) defines the MoHSP and its subordinated institutions (SSS), the regional councils and the municipalities as the main responsible institutions for the administration of social care services. In addition, the law on local governance (2015) assigns responsibilities to municipalities in planning, budgeting and providing social services. The Municipalities have also the role of establishing and functioning of the community system of social care services, a system that should link the cash payment program to reintegration, rehabilitation and empowerment services. Employment support measures and reintegrating families or individuals into vulnerable situations, require concrete measures to be addressed at the local level by municipalities, Employment Offices and State Social Services.
Overall, municipalities have considered employment as a central government function fulfilled through programs implemented by the National Employment Service and its relevant regional or local structures; thus, lacking a vision and capacities to address economic empowerment of vulnerable groups in their territories and engage, as key players/mediators, in their employability. An interaction between local governments and National Employment Service becomes imperative to ensure an effective and sustainable reactive system addressing the employment needs of the various vulnerable categories in their respective territories.
In 2018, the National Employment Service and the State Social Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding, setting a foundation for closer collaboration with regards to the transition/activation of social assistance beneficiaries to the labour market. The focus of this collaboration has been the support of all former beneficiaries of social assistance following the rollout of the new scheme. More specifically, NES set the transition of beneficiaries and former beneficiaries of social assistance as a priority for 2018. By the end of 2018, over 4000 beneficiaries of social assistance (current and former) transitioned into jobs through NES services (intermediation and active labour market programmes).
The approval of the Employment Promotion Law in 2019 marked an important step forward towards the employment of people with disabilities, with the establishment of a dedicated Social Employment Fund for the employment and training of Persons with Disabilities (PwD). The Ministry of Finance and Economy is currently working on drafting the operational procedures for the Fund. Furthermore, the new Law on Social Assistance (no. 57, date 18.07.2019) allowed for PwD to retain their disability payments regardless of the duration of their employment (limited to 4 years in the previous law).
Following the reform on cash assistance, the MoHSP aims at transforming the existing social assistance into a new activation programme by providing alternative schemes for sustainable employment for persons in need. MoHSP acknowledges that the economic assistance (NE) is a temporary scheme offered to the poorest of the poor for a period of up to five years. This new initiative is expected to support the employment of NE beneficiaries in their communities, municipalities or central government projects. It is expected to propose changes in the NE programme designed to incentivise active job search, acceptance of job offers, acceptance of participation in employment promotion programmes among NE beneficiaries as well as propose alternative active measures tailored to NE beneficiaries for their sustainable employment. Social reintegration relies on the goals and principles of the applicable legislation on social assistance and services as well as on the constitutional social employment objective in suitable conditions of all job-capable persons.
Recently (2019), the Ministry of Finance and Economy (MoFE) has developed a protocol for cooperation with the State Social Services. The protocol is now an integral part of a joint ministerial order signed by the Minister of Finance and Economy and the Minister of health and Social protection.
The ministerial order, (no. 624, date 20.08.2019), approved the operational plan (2019-2020) on the employment of the economic assistance beneficiaries at employment age. The order tasks the State Social Service, National Agency for Employment and Skills and their regional and local offices for the implementation of this plan. The guiding principles of this operational plan are equality and social justice, empowerment and sustainable employment for the category in focus. The aim of this operational plan is to establish a referral mechanism supporting harmonised services for each member in active employment age from the households benefiting from economic assistance. The mechanism will orient all economic assistance beneficiaries towards the labour market. Priority will be given to those in their last eligible year in the economic assistance. The mechanism will include work protocols for each position in the system with referral responsibility, gathering and exchanging information in real time between institutions as well as establishing a database for services provided to the referred persons.
Currently there is no active referral or back referral between NAES and SSS and coordination does not go beyond cross checking of databases. The cooperation between NAES and SSS and NE beneficiaries is being considered as a priority category by the employment service. Yet only 10% of the previous NE beneficiaries have approached the employment offices. The agreement with the SSS was to encourage and refer the NE beneficiaries to employment services, yet this requires a better cooperation with the municipalities, highlighting the need for operational referral mechanisms in place that ensure cross institutional cooperation. The operational protocol should be a starting point in strengthening this cooperation and a bases to design the mechanisms for its implementation.
Addressing the current gap of integrated services for the socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable individuals and families, it is necessary to identify possible directions leading to interaction between the existing systems and address the employability of cash assistance beneficiaries in the labour market.
Inclusive Labour Market Solutions in the Western Balkans (ILMS) is a UNDP regional initiative, with the overall objective ito make national and local labour markets more inclusive. The project seeks to ensure that labour market institutions at the national and local levels have capacities to design and implement, in partnership with the private sector and the civil society, inclusive policies and programme for those individuals at risk of social and labour market exclusion. The outcome will be achieved through four major outputs: (1) PES and CSWs have institutionalized models of integrated and user-centred provision of services for marginalized groups, (2) A mutual learning programme among public employment services (modelled on the EU’s MLP and focused on inclusiveness approaches) is delivered, (3) Local multi-stakeholder partnerships have capacities and resources to develop and implement inclusive employment initiatives; (4) An Inclusiveness Facility for public employment agencies to implement inclusiveness adjustments to their practices (services and programmes) is established.
In Albania, the ILMS II will contribute to the implementation of the roadmaps for integrated service provision, which have been developed through regional peer-level discussions and subsequent national dialogues with national and local level stakeholders.
[1] National Social Protection Strategy 2015- 2020, fq.24, at https://shendetesia.gov.al/ëp-content/uploads/2018/06/Strategjia_Kombetare_per_Mbrojtjen_Sociale_2015-2020.pdf
[2] Idem, Fq.25
[3] https:/www.al.undp.org/content/dam/albania/docs/PAK%20shqip.pdf
1. Scope of the assignment
This assignment aims at providing an assessment of gaps, needs and entry points in the social protection system, social care and employment services that need to be addressed for these systems to interact with and produce concrete results through upskilling the adult cash beneficiaries and facilitate their integration to the labour market.
2. Duties and Responsibilities
This consultancy will generate an understanding of the extent to which empowerment and integration of vulnerable communities to the labour market is addressed through the existing programmes and practices at central and local level.
Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Programme Specialist and Programme coordinator and in close collaboration with the national institutions, the consultant is expected to contribute to the following deliverables:
The assignment will take place based the following phases and proposed methodology:
Phase 0: Inception Phase – designing the methodology, the workplan and agreeing with UNDP on the deliverables. During this phase the consultant will also develop a list of key stakeholders and partners to be interviewed, including a proposal for the selected municipalities.
Phase 1: Desk review of existing legal and policy framework and strategies as well as specific action plans on both sectors: social protection and employment. At the end of this phase the consultant will develop and submit to UNDP programme team the interview and focus guide.
Phase 2: During this phase the consultant will be dedicated to carry out the field mission for the assessment of systems and identification of gaps and mechanisms between the three systems. The main instruments that will be used for data collection and assessment are (i) interviews and use of semi structured questionnaires – which will be tailored around a list of main indicators identified supporting the information gathering from the stakeholders and to assess the systems and existing gaps; (ii) focus group (1-2) – to gather the perceptions of cash beneficiaries (women and men) and service providers around challenges faced for penetrating the labour market. The semi-structured interviews will target the National Agency for Employment and Skills Service and at least one regional and local office, State Social Service, responsible social services structures at municipal level, social administrators. While, the semi-structured interviews with partners engaged in this sector such as organizations working with vulnerable communities and supporting their integration to labour market through empowerment and skills training programs.
Phase 3: Data analysis and reporting – during this phase the consultants will analyse of the information gathered and prepare the draft assessment report. Once the first comments from UNDP are shared with the consultants, the revised draft report will be presented in a technical round table with key stakeholders. The round table will be organized by UNDP programme team. Any additional comments and recommendations shared during the workshop will be reflected in the final report.
Combining the assessment from the desk research and field work, the consultant will identify the features of the existing systems, gaps, as well as opportunities for establishing an interactive communication between the three parallel systems, and formulate concrete recommendations to be taken into account. The consultant and UNDP project team will also ensure that measures proposed in the exit strategy prepared by WB, will be taken into account and possibly harmonised with existing protocol between SSS and NAES and this assignment.
Deliverables
Corporate Competencies:
Core Competencies:
Education
Experience
Language requirement:
Evaluation Procedure
UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would consider both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:
Technical Criteria - 50% of total evaluation – max 50 points
Criteria A: Masters’ degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field (such as Social Policy) or in a general field (Law, Business Administration, Economics, Social Sciences), – max 10 points
Criteria B: Minimum 10 years’ experience in designing and assessment social services – max 10 points
Criteria C: Proven solid experience in providing advisory service to government in the reform process of the social services in Albania – max 10 points
Criteria D: Previous experience in drafting regulatory documents for public institutions – max 10 points
Criteria E: Full working knowledge of English and report-writing skills – max 10 points
Technical proposal – 20% of the total evaluation – max 20 points
Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max 30 points
Application Procedure
The application should contain:
* Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
How to Submit the Application:
To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
This vacancy is archived.