Central
State authorities are responsible for:
- Regulation of standards of social rights and services;
- Coordinate the work of state and other bodies in the realisation of demographic development activities and social policy;
- Organisation, coordination and supervision of social care activities;
- System and policy of pensions and disability insurance;
- Unemployment benefits;
- Establishment and management of social care centres, which are situated in towns and municipalities;
- Counselling, expert, analytical and other assignments with regard to procedures concerning marriage, parental care, custody or adoption;
- Establishment of social care homes (discretionary);
- Encouraging legal projects to improve the quality of life of elder persons and the development of service activities for their needs;
- Establishment and management of family centres;
- Modernisation of social protection systems;
- Supervise local and regional self‑government and civil society organisations in developing their own social development programs.
Regional
Regional authorities:
- Encourage, organise, and carry out activities aimed at preventing and combating social and personal problems;
- Perform expert and analytical work;
- Encourage and develop self-help, good neighbourly assistance, voluntary work, charities, and other activities;
- Propose measures to improve social policies;
- Propose, encourage, and coordinate other activities in the area of social welfare at the regional level;
- Participate in the adoption of a social plan for the area of regional self-government;
- Assess the plans to provide social welfare services taking into account the needs of the beneficiaries;
- Ensure the development of social services in accordance with the social plan and the network of social services;
- Monitor the development of standards of quality of social services, propose to improve the existing and introduce new standards;
- Coordinate and conduct activities in the area of prevention of trafficking in human beings, domestic violence, peer violence and addiction problems through county coordinators;
- Participate in the suppression of alcohol dependence, drugs, and other addictions;
- Organise and conduct education and supervision of foster parents, representatives of family homes and skilled workers of other providers of social services;
- Provide and organise education of the head of the supervision measure on parental care and keeps records of the supervisor of the monitoring measure;
Local
Local authorities are responsible for:
- Enhancing standards of social rights and social services above those prescribed by law (discretionary;
- Participation in funding;
- Establishing centres for aid and care (discretionary);
- Establishing centres for help and care (discretionary);
- Covering housing expenses (rent, energy bills etc.) of the poor;
- Public canteens (for large towns only);
- Shelters for homeless (for large towns only);
- Provide support in accommodation, provide residence services, psychosocial support services, assistance services for education programs (integration), and extraordinary accommodation services.
Responsible ministries/bodies
Central
Regional
Local
- Social care homes, centres for aid and care, centres for home help
Sources:
Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social
PolicyLaw on social care (OG: 157/13, 152/14, 99/15, 52/16);
Government portal, Government/About Croatian Government/Ministries/ Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
SGI, Social Policies, Croatia, Performance Indicators
Law on Social Welfare (NN 157/13, 152/14, 99/15, 52/16, 16/17, 130/17)