Social
Central Government
Central Government is responsible for:
· The promotion of social justice within a free democratic system based on the pillars of social cohesion and social inclusion.
· Overall legislative and policy competences in the field of social policy, including continuous study and evaluation;
· Safeguarding an individual’s right to a decent standard of living;
· Encouraging the strengthening of bonds between the elderly and the disabled with their family and their local Community;
· To provide Home Care service in order to support vulnerable groups of people in order to enable them to live at home, to develop their personal skills. It also aims to support the family unit to accommodate the family’s elderly/disabled members.
· To end the reliance of public assistance recipients on public assistance benefit and achieve their social inclusion.
· Supporting families and individuals who are facing social problems;
· Combating delinquency and especially juvenile delinquency.
· Providing protection and care to children and other vulnerable groups of people;
· Provision of counselling and support to the family in order to cope with the problems that threaten its unity. This includes the handling of domestic violence
· Running day-care nurseries for pre-school children whose both parents are employed.
· Raising awareness among non-governmental organisations and local authorities about providing quality social services at the local level;
· Providing support, via the grants in Aid Scheme, to voluntary organisations in the field of social welfare.
· The formulation, coordination, implementation and monitoring of policies for persons with disabilities;
· The payment of pensions to individuals residing in Cyprus, and who do not have the right to a pension or other similar payments from any other source;
· Administrating the termination of employment;
· Establishing a fund to cover the cost of protecting employees in the event of insolvency of their employer, and
· Implementing the principle of equal treatment for men and women in occupational social security schemes.
· In May, 2013, the Office of the Commissioner for Volunteering and Non-Governmental Organisations was established, cited by a Cyprus National Social Report as being an important collaborative cooperative body with social services.
Province Level
Districts are responsible for:
· The administration and coordination of central government policies in the social field at the district level.
· On a varying basis, district administrations provide oversight for, and co-ordinate, social measures in municipalities and communities in their area of responsibility.
Local SAA
Municipalities are responsible for:
- Granting gratuities or pensions to employees and workers of the
municipalities, as well as their widows and children and for establishing
a pension fund;
- Providing social and life insurance to all municipal employees;
- Contributing to the provision of funds;
- The establishment, maintenance and operation of resting places, charitable or
philanthropic stations, municipal housing, schemes and institutions, and
- The provision of social, sanitary, paramedical, medical services and
emergency services to needy or disabled persons.
- The establishment, maintenance, support and operation of municipal
parks, gardens, swimming pools, youth centres and of similar institutions
that are accessible to the public.
Communities are responsibles
- Granting gratuities or pensions to employees and workers of the community, as well as their widows and children and
establishing a pension fund;
- The establishment, maintenance, support and operation of community
parks, gardens, swimming pools, youth centres and of similar institutions
that are accessible to the public.
- To financially support schemes and institutions that have educational,
cultural and social aims.
- Providing social, health and life insurance to all community employees.
Sources
Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus,
Department of Social Insurance Services website
Department of Social Welfare Services
Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance
The Municipalities Law (Law No. 111) of 1985, in particular Art. 85 (n), 85 (o).
The Communities Law (Law No. 86(1)) of 1999.
