The adoption of the National Strategy for Deinstitutionalization 2018-2027, “Timjanik,” in 2018 in the Republic of North Macedonia marked the transition from institutional care to a family- and community-based social care system with support from social services. In 2019, the new Law on Social Protection came into effect, aiming to introduce systemic changes that enable the smooth implementation of ongoing processes of deinstitutionalization, decentralization, and pluralization in the provision of social services. The National Program for the Development of Social Protection 2022-2032 has also been adopted.
In addition to the state, municipalities and the city of Skopje are also responsible for social protection. The law strengthens the role of municipalities in providing social services. A series of obligations are outlined, both in terms of strategic-level planning and local-level operational implementation.
The Law on Social Protection defines six categories of social services that municipalities are required to provide: (1) Information and referral services; (2) Professional assistance and support; (3) Counseling; (4) Home services (home care and personal assistance); (5) Community services (day care, temporary care, resocialization, rehabilitation, reintegration, respite care, and halfway houses); and (6) Out-of-family protection services (supported living, foster care, and placement in an institution).
Five years after the law’s adoption, the NGO Info-center, in collaboration with partner organizations (Spectar from Kriva Palanka, the Women’s Organization of Strumica, the Women’s Civic Initiative from Sveti Nikole, and Aktivo from Veles), conducted monitoring in six municipalities: Strumica, Novo Selo, Sveti Nikole, Veles, Kriva Palanka, and Kumanovo between June and September 2024.
Using access to public information, interviews with municipal administrations, and monitoring the websites of the municipalities, we tracked the implementation of the Law on Social Protection, specifically whether municipalities have a social plan, a social council, and whether they utilize services from licensed social service providers. We also observed which social services are being provided to vulnerable groups at the local level, whether new social services have been introduced, how the services are funded, and more.
This monitoring was carried out as part of the project “Active Citizens and Participatory Democracy at the Local Level,” financially supported by the Olof Palme International Center from Sweden.
General Findings
The monitoring data indicates that almost all municipalities provide social services, but these are usually not new services; instead, they are services that local governments had been offering even before the new law was enacted.
There are municipalities that, even five years after the law came into effect, have yet to prepare and adopt a social plan. Some municipalities adopted their social plans only this year. Many municipalities with social plans that have outlined a variety of social services have yet to provide the planned services to their citizens.
Sveti Nikole adopted its social plan in 2024 and established a social council. Novo Selo municipality does not have a social council, has no social plan, and has yet to begin the process of preparing one. This municipality does not allocate budget funds for social services, but a service is provided by a licensed service provider, funded through the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP).
In Strumica, the process of developing a new social plan has not yet begun, even though the existing one expires this year. The Social Plan of the Municipality of Strumica (2021–2024) envisages a total of seven social services. As of the end of 2023, only two services have been provided, aimed at elderly and frail individuals, and people with disabilities. The municipality has a social council, and there are five licensed service providers.
The Kriva Palanka Social Plan for the period 2021–2024 outlines nine new social services. To date, only three services have been provided (a day center for individuals with intellectual and moderate disabilities, a day center for active aging, and home care), while a care home for the elderly is in the implementation phase. The process of preparing a new social plan has yet to begin. The municipality has a social council and one licensed social service provider.
In Veles, out of ten planned social services in accordance with the Social Plan 2021–2025, by the end of 2023, only four types of services had been provided (service support for the elderly, personal assistance, a center for social inclusion, and a small group home for people with disabilities). The municipality has a social council, and two licensed service providers operate within its territory.
Although the Social Plan of Kumanovo (2023–2026) has been in place for less than two years, most of the planned social services have already been established, and the social protection programs for 2023 and 2024 were prepared in line with this strategic document. The municipality has a social council, and several licensed service providers are operational.
Most of the municipalities with social plans do not prepare annual activity programs according to their adopted social plans. The programs for implementing the social plan are still part of the general annual programs for social protection, following an old-established practice. No final annual reports are prepared for the implementation of the annual programs, and as a result, no reports are made for the implementation of the social plans.
The funds needed to successfully implement social services in local governments are mainly secured through the MLSP, foreign donations, and municipal budgets.
The limited number of licensed service providers poses an additional challenge for the introduction of new social services in some municipalities.
