Jelena Matančević

The third sector in croatia: impact on social service provision

The paper addresses the main changes in the Third Sector development in Croatia over the past 20 years, its main contours, changing role in social policy and service production, as well as its role in governance and relations with other sectors and stakeholders. The growing role and the impact of the Third Sector is illustrated in the examples of two service fields: care for the elderly and preschool education. Broader processes of decentralization, privatization and pluralization of service providers have opened space for Third Sector initiatives in the field of social services, where their growth is notable. However, unfavourable socio-political environment and low levels of trust in Third Sector organizations hinder their development and positioning in the social service system and in the governance arrangements. The system of service provision in Croatia is still not grounded in the principles of civicness and good governance, although improvements are noticeable. The practice of co-management and cogovernance based on greater involvement of Third Sector organizations is still in its early phase, and its future development will depend on policy improvements, but even more so on the potential for democratization and changes of the socio-cultural environment.

Europeizacija hrvatske socijalne politike i hrvatska socijalna povelja – prikaz projekta i glavnih zaključaka

edukaciju volontera smatraju korisnom. Važno je utvrditi potrebe i osigurati materijalna i stručna sredstva koja će biti zasnovana na suvremenim principima i metodama rada (Družić Ljubotina, 2012.). Uzmemo li u obzir okolnosti da su beskućnici teško zapošljive osobe, potreba za imenovanjem posebnog savjetnika pri Hrvatskom zavodu za zapošljavanje istaknuta je kao prioritetna u sklopu fokusnih grupa. Također, naglašena je i potreba inicijalnih inicijativa prihvatilišta/prenoćišta prema područnim ispostavama HZZ-a. Sinergijski učinci suradnje državnih institucija i neprofitnih organizacija prijeko su potrebni u radu s ovom skupinom korisnika. Nedostatak suradnje i komunikacije među ključnim dionicima naslovljen je kao poseban problem. Otvaranje prostora socijalnim inovacijama te stručna i financijska podrška ključne su za daljnji razvoj projekta i programa. U području rada s beskućnicima velik je izazov utvrđivanje nove prakse, kao i učenja iz primjera dobre prakse drugih EU zemalja. EU fondovi, koji stoje na raspolaganju, prije svega Europski socijalni fond, značajan su izvor sredstava koji bi mogao biti poticaj za inoviranje i razvijanje projekta i programa vezanih za beskućnike.

Zagreb: Parents in Action—Innovative Ways of Support and Policies for Children, Women and Families

RODA is a civil society organisation founded in 2001 by a group of mothers as direct answer to the reductions in maternity leave benefits. Over time, the organisation evolved into a group of concerned and engaged citizens interested in promoting and protecting the rights to a dignified pregnancy, parenthood and childhood in Croatia. Being fully engaged in meeting the needs of their members, and equipped with an entrepreneur spirit, the organisation launched the production of cotton diapers, organised in sheltered workshops. It was the first organisation of its kind that emerged in the broader field of family policy. It is actively involved in advocacy for changing regulations in family and health policies at national and local levels.