Public Call to support Local Self Government Units for Implementation & Development of Social Protection Services – Serbia

Deadline: 22 May 2020

Do you want citizens to receive better quality social protection services? Do you see the need to expand existing social protection services to include more beneficiaries from vulnerable social groups? Have ideas on how to introduce new and innovative social care services? The Swiss PRO program will directly support up to 20 local governments to implement projects for the implementation and development of social protection services through a public call under the slogan “Join forces, provide support”.

This initiative is only one of the activities supported by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss PRO development program.

Goals

The program must meet two main goals:

• To contribute to the advancement of the knowledge and skills of organizations and officials
• To increase the scope and quality of public services provided to citizens, especially those from vulnerable groups.

Achieving both goals will lead to improvements in regulations, as well as institutional, technical and human capacity for improvement of electronic services. In addition, capacity building will be provided for local organizations civil society (CSOs), as well as institutions dealing with social inclusion and gender equality.

This will, in general, contribute to the advancement of the rule of law at the local level, increasing accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of local self-government units (LGUs) and finally, improving quality the lives of citizens, especially those from vulnerable groups.

The program will carry out activities in coordination with key competent institutions at the republican level, with compliance with national strategies, laws and relevant development documents, which will contribute to sustainability, provide national “ownership” and help develop national capacities. Content and scope of the Program significantly complement the European Union Support Program for Municipal Development – EU PRO.

Objectives of Intervention

• General objective: To contribute to the establishment of a relevant, efficient, effective and sustainable social protection system in local level
• Specific objective: To increase the availability and relevance of social protection services at the local level, which will benefit have at least 500 users belonging to vulnerable social groups.

Scope of Intervention

In order to meet the needs of members of vulnerable groups at the local level, the Program will be directly supported a maximum of twenty (20) local LGU projects (as holders) focused on one of the following areas:

• Establishment of a new standardized local social protection (USZ) service that is currently not provides;
• The expansion includes the existing standardized local USS in the local self-government to a larger number of users, with maintenance or improving the achieved level of service quality;
• Piloting an innovative local USZ based on its sustainability for later implementation;
• Clarifying an innovative approach to developing and delivering USZ:
  • Innovation involves the implementation of a new idea that embraces, as far as possible, a cross-sectoral approach providing USS or improving existing practices, processes or services that they bring to vulnerable groups new benefits, quality and availability;
  • Innovative intervention in the USS can lead to an increase in the quality and scope of users less resources, including financial ones;
  • An innovative approach can be implemented to introduce a new target audience of non-users covered by the existing standardized USZ.

Funding Information

• The total amount available under the Public Invitation is $ 268,000.
• A grant of up to $ 13,400 may be awarded for one project.

Duration

The implementation of activities envisaged by the projects may last for a maximum of 12 (twelve) months and a minimum of 10 (ten) months from the date of signing the grant agreement. However, active service delivery social protection (USZ) must last at least 9 (nine) months.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be supported, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

• To be one of the 96 units of local self-government from the Region of Šumadija and Western Serbia and the Region Southern and Eastern Serbia.
• The project proposal must comply with the relevant national and local legislation and / or policies, which also applies to the procurement process of USZ providers.
• LSGs are expected to provide at least 10% of their total budget from their own budget eligible project costs.
• One LGU may submit a project in partnership with another LGU or the Center for Social Work (CSR) or are both. CSR as a project partner must be responsible for the territory of the local self-government acting as the lead partner. In the case of inter-municipal cooperation or partnership between the LGU (as the lead partner) and the CSR (as project partner), the partnership must be formalized in writing by a Partnership Agreement or Letter of intent to conclude the Partnership Agreement), which will be signed by both parties and with a clear one division of tasks and responsibilities.
• One JLS may submit only one project proposal as a lead applicant. Once an applicant may only be awarded a grant for one project.
• One local self-government can participate as a project partner in inter-municipal cooperation and submit its own special application. In that case, the special project proposal should refer to a different activity.

Project Selection

The project proposal should:

• It proposes sustainable activities, which means that the applicant should demonstrate how newly established or upgraded services continue to be provided after the end of the project, as well as the benefits that will be provided to users in the long run.
• Demonstrates ability to involve women and men equally in project planning and implementation and their equal benefit from the project, in accordance with the scope of the Call for Proposals and the project.
• Demonstrate the ability to uphold the principles of good governance in activity programming, in in accordance with the content of the project proposal.
• The Swiss PRO program is under no obligation to spend all of the funds earmarked for this activity and only finance it quality projects that meet certain criteria, and based on their relevance,expected outcomes / effects and sustainability of the proposed intervention
• The project proposal will be rejected if it is not submitted in accordance with the conditions, if it is not complete or timely filed. That decision is final.

For more information, visit https://www.swisspro.org.rs/ktext/javni-poziv-za-podrsku-jedinicima-lokalne-samouprave-za-sprovodjenje-i-razvoj-usluga-socijalne-zastite