SOCIAL SERVICES: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES IN THE ALBANIAN CONTEXT

Abstract

The system of social services in Albania was totally transformed
compared to the system that functioned during the communist time.
Besides State, various groups of civil society, strategic partners, donors
and international organizations played an important role in providing
social services.
The aim of this paper is a) to provide a general overview of the
role of the actors that provide social services in Albania; b) to analyse the
impact of decentralization and privatization of social services; c) to
present evidence of achievements and challenges in the public and non
public services.
The paper is not intended to be a comprehensive one on the overall
subject of the system of social services in Albania, but rather a review of
services related to social protection of vulnerable groups, children and
women support, services for the people with special needs.
This paper is prepared based on documentation analysis (basic
policy and strategic documents, legislation), interviewing and practical
experience reflection. 

The documentation analysis has involved reviewing all readily
available materials, like domestic government policy documents, official
statistics, national reports, publications of the NGO that offer social
services and research publications on social services.
The method for analyzing the information was content analysis.
Ten key actors in Albania were interviewed for the purpose of this
research: five officials of the Ministry of Wellbeing and Youth and five
representatives of NGO-s.
The purpose of interviews was to gather information that is not
publicly available and to generate insights on the issue of social service
provision.
It is a belief that the conclusions of this research will be a
contribution to reshaping the role of all actors, increasing the role of the
civil society and private providers of social services and improving the
quality of social services in Albania.