The Agency for the Support of Local Self-Government, in coordination with the Minister of State for Local Government, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and with the support of the "Municipalities for Europe" Project and TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission), organized a workshop focused on "Developing Standards in the Field of Social Services at the Local Level." The workshop gathered on October 17, 2023, in Tirana, over 80 representatives from municipalities working in the social field, Regional Directorates of Social Services, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, and the Agency for the support of local self-government, to share experiences with experts from Slovenia, Sweden, and Spain. This workshop concluded the two-day mission of the experts who, on the first day, October 16, extensively discussed with central-level institutions, AMVV (Agency for the support of local self-government), and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
The sharing of concrete experiences was particularly interesting, covering aspects such as the management of social services, the division of competencies, roles and responsibilities as interesting models, as well as monitoring, performance, and the functioning of social services. Experiences were shared on how cases for different categories are managed both from a legal perspective and in practice.
Throughout the workshop, various discussions took place, with the focus remaining on the quality of service delivery not only in numbers. More trainings are needed for teams regarding standards and service quality. Statistics were highlighted as crucial for serving communities. The primary message conveyed through the seminar was centered around the individual, going beyond bureaucracy.
