On this page

1. Programmes for vulnerable young people

2. Funding

3. Quality assurance

Programmes for vulnerable young people

Several programmes for youth social inclusion are established for vulnerable children and youth, as follows:

1. School after school - the programme aims to prevent school dropout by providing after school programmes organised by the schools themselves, with the participation of teachers with additional payment for these activities and including meals for children and young people.
2. Second Chance - the programme is organising remedial classes.
3. Social benefit programmes. Legislation in the field of social benefits has the purpose of improving the living standards of vulnerable persons, including young people. However, these measures are not targeting only young people, but all vulnerable people. Several legal provisions targeting especially the reduction of (monetary) poverty regulate the social benefits:

• The inclusion minimum income (provided by Law no. 196/2016) is paid to all persons with monthly revenue under a set threshold and includes cash transfers, tax reductions and deductions and complementary payments, including support for the mandatory house insurance, emergency cash transfers, support for school participation
• The support for energy costs (provided by the Law no. 226/2021 regarding energy poverty).

4. The employment programme for marginalised young people, implemented by the National Employment Agency, providing employment counselling, training, support for employment and to employers.
5. Benefits for disabled persons (including young people) , children with disabilities and they caregivers (granted by Law no. 448/2006):

• Disabled persons have the right to special treatment (free healthcare, free transportation, free education etc.) and the right to an allowance for them and, if needed for a caregiver, at request.
• The family or the guardian of a child (including a young person under 18) with disabilities has the right to receive social assistance during the period when the child is in their care, supervision and support.

Funding

The School after School and Second Chance programmes have been funded by the State budget and the European Social Fund within the Operational Programme Human Capital until 2023. The European Social Fund Plus is planned to continue their funding starting in 2024.

The support measures for young people leaving the special protection system and the benefits for disabled persons are included in the state budget. On the other hand, the local authorities pay the social benefits, from local budgets. Due to the way the budgets headings are provided by the national budget, there is impossible to determine the overall budget for these allocations. Additional funding from the European Social Fund within the Operational Programme Human Capital is available for local authorities, but not counties accessed the funding.

Due to the regulations on budget planning and form of the budgets published it is impossible to isolate the amount of funding of these programmes going to young people, in the total funding including children and adults as well.

Quality assurance

The National Agency for Payment and Social Inspection (NAPSI) is in charge of quality assurance for the programmes of social benefits and benefits for disabled persons. Fund cuts and even lawsuits in court of embezzlement against people receiving social benefits without right can be the result of these inspections.

Quality of School after School and Second Chance programmes is assured by the school inspection.

When the European Social Funds fund these programmes quality assurance is part of the grant rules and breaking any quality standard will determine proportional cut of funds.