ZAGREB, February 5, 2025 - A path is paved for over 900 children, youth, and persons with disabilities to transition from institutional care to community-based living with support. In an important initiative to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable populations, Croatia's Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, together with the World Bank has unveiled the results of a two-year technical assistance project focused on deinstitutionalization.
A total of 38 social welfare institutions in Croatia are in the process of transformation, supported by funding from the European Union. The goal is to develop a network of community-based social services by 2027 that is in line with the needs of beneficiaries, as well as their families, and that improves the quality of care while integrating beneficiaries into communities.
"The goal of deinstitutionalization is to ensure that each beneficiary of the social welfare system-be they children, youth, or adults with disabilities can fully realize their range of human rights, including the fundamental right to belong to the society they live in," stated Margareta Mađerić, State Secretary, Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy. "Our focus is on changing the way institutions currently operate and opening them up to the community. This implies an increase in the share of community-based services compared to services provided within an institution."
"This project has significantly advanced Croatia's commitment to deinstitutionalization. It will help 907 individuals to move out of institutions into organized housing facilities." said Aida Liha Matejiček, Head of Unit for Croatia and Romania, Directorate-General for Regional Policy and Urban Development of the European Commission. "The transformation plans developed for social welfare institutions provide a critical foundation for EU investments, ensuring the timely and efficient implementation of the deinstitutionalization process. In parallel, with the prevention of further institutionalization it is critical to ensure that these efforts lead to a meaningful, sustainable, and inclusive model of community-based care accompanied by concrete investments, fostering a more inclusive society."
Expected results of the project:
- By 2027, the availability of community-based social services is expected to significantly expand to include priority services such as daycare, psychosocial support, personal assistance, early development support, inclusion in educational programs and regular schooling for children with developmental disabilities, and social mentoring. The social services provided will also include relatively new and innovative services such as respite care, peer support, and employment assistance for persons with disabilities.
- Close to 200 new organized housing units will be provided across Croatia.
- An established deinstitutionalization monitoring mechanism, allowing the Ministry to capture, monitor and evaluate the outcomes and results of the deinstitutionalization process. This will also help to ensure that further planning and adjustment of social policies is based on the needs of beneficiaries.
"Deinstitutionalization is essential for Croatia's most vulnerable people to thrive in all aspects of life. Expansion of community-based care is a collective responsibility and its success hinges on the unwavering commitment of all stakeholders, including the management and staff of institutions, local communities, regional development agencies, local governments, health services, private social service providers, and many others." said Jehan Arulpragasam, World Bank Country Manager for Croatia and Slovenia. "The World Bank is proud to be the government's partner of choice in creating a fairer and more inclusive Croatia. Together, we look forward to making a lasting difference in the lives of those who need it most."
"This project will help us improve the quality of life for our children by creating conditions that resemble family life more closely. This includes providing organized housing with fewer children and adopting an individual approach for each child," said Goran Tubić, Director of Osijek Community Services Center for children with behavioral problems. "With the planned project, we will build three housing units and renovate and equip two apartments to support children on their path to independent living before they leave the care system. 19 children will benefit, we will employ a dozen new experts, including social workers, psychologists and social pedagogues. Key support in the preparatory phase was provided by the Ministry, the County Development Agency that will assist us with project application, and the City of Osijek for providing the land for construction."
Future activities are expected to be funded from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), from the allocation for deinstitutionalization during the 2021-27 programming period amounting to over 150 million EUR.
The conference also featured two panel discussions focusing on experiences of institutions in the transformation planning process, as well as projections for the future in managing risks related to the implementation of the developed plans, with the active participation of beneficiaries, some of which left institutions and are now living in the organized housing units. The project was implemented during 2023-2025, and was co-financed by the European Union, from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).
All the documents prepared within the technical assistance are available on MLPSFSP and World Bank websites.
