External expertise to support the development of a mechanism for the integration of social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market

Vergabeart: Öffentliche Ausschreibung US

Art und Umfang der Leistung: Beratung, allgemeine Dienstleistung

Project: Starke Unternehmen und Kommunen für Moldau / Strong companies and municipalities for Moldova

Description: External expertise to support the development of a mechanism for the integration of social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market

Detailed description of the project:

The project was part of the “Strong Businesses and Communities for Moldova” (SBC) initiative, which sought to improve the socio-economic prospects for the population in both rural and urban Moldovan communities. A specific focus was placed on rural communities, mainly in the Rayons of Edinet, Straseni, and Leova, as well as the cities of Soroca and Comrat. The target group for the project was the population of these Moldovan communities, with particular attention given to women and vulnerable groups such as the Roma community and people with disabilities.

The assignment focused on improving labour market integration services and creating new services specifically designed to benefit the vulnerable population of the Republic of Moldova. A more inclusive and comprehensive approach was used to address the unique challenges faced by these vulnerable groups, extending their opportunities for a better socio-economic life. The goal was to create a sustainable impact on the labour market integration of these populations, fostering positive outcomes across various regions of the country.
The SBC project team enhanced outreach, identification, and targeted assistance for vulnerable persons, promoting their integration into the labour market and education. This included supporting relevant public institutions in designing activation services tailored to the specific needs of social services and their beneficiaries. Many people served by social services were recipients of minimum income or other types of financial benefits and faced multiple barriers to employment. These barriers included inadequate education and training, lack of housing, health issues, indebtedness, family care responsibilities, and substance abuse. As a result, these vulnerable groups were at a higher risk of prolonged unemployment compared to other groups.
The assignment also provided comprehensive methodological support to the central public authorities, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and Territorial Social Assistance Agencies in the Republic of Moldova. This involved developing a mechanism for integrating social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market, aligned with the proposed amendments to Law no. 133/2008 on social assistance, and formulating recommendations for the mechanism's implementation, ensuring coordinated efforts through the application of case management tools.

Types and scopes of services provided:

• Researched and compiled effective practices at the European level for the labour market integration of social assistance beneficiaries, involving case management to identify, assess, and address the factors that led to families' reliance on social assistance, potentially adaptable to the Republic of Moldova.
• Developed a mechanism for the integration of social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market in the Republic of Moldova, to establish primary and generally binding legal norms regarding the evaluation and resolution of the root causes that led to the situation of difficulty.
• Consulted the proposed mechanism for the integration of social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market with decision-makers and practitioners from the Republic of Moldova to ensure its applicability, integrate recommendations, and improve the designed mechanism.
• Developed a step-by-step procedure based on a case management tool for implementing the mechanism for integrating social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market: assessment and identification of social assistance beneficiaries able to work, goal setting, individualized planning, ongoing support for job search and placement, and monitoring and evaluation before case closure.
• Implemented 2 training sessions with (i) the TSSAs staff regarding the practical application of the mechanism aimed at integrating social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market, and (ii) the MoLSP staff, covering topics to improve organizational processes and workflows for the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of the mechanism for integrating social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market.
• Provided methodological support to the central public authorities, including the MoLSP and TSAAs in the Republic of Moldova, focused on developing measures to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of the mechanism for integrating social assistance beneficiaries into the labour market through the application of a case management tool.
• Elaborated the final report containing the summary of the context analysis, the process of developing the mechanism, conducted training sessions, and recommendations for coordination measures for the mechanism’s implementation.