The provision of social services, social benefits, emergency social assistance and other assistance is organised by the local government of the person’s place of residence as entered in the population register. Each of the local governments establishes a procedure for the provision of assistance, which must include a description of:
- social services and social benefits, which the local government provides and pays;
- who and under which conditions is entitled to receive social services and benefits.
Local governments may have different organisations and rules concerning social services and benefits, but the provided assistance must in a timely manner and flexibly satisfy the changing needs of a person, improve the quality of life and ensure equal opportunities for participation in the society.
Pursuant to the Social Welfare Act, a local government is obligated to provide 11 social services, apart from which also other social services may be arranged.
In case a person needs assistance in their coping or their family’s coping, the social work specialist of the rural municipality or city government of the person’s residence must be contacted, who will then identify to what extent and which assistance the contacting person needs in solving the specific social problem.
The local government has a right to charge a fee for the provision of social services, the conditions and amount of which are decided by the local government. The amount of the fee depends on the volume of the social services and the economic situation of the person receiving the service, but the amount of the fee must not constitute an obstacle to receiving the service.
In case a person fails to receive the assistance they need or the provided assistance has a low quality, they will have a right to file a challenge with the county governor through the local authority. It is also possible to submit a complaint with an administrative court.
Useful links
Services provided by the local government
Domestic service
General care service provided outside the home
Support person service
Curatorship of adults
Personal assistant service
Shelter service
Safe house service
Social transport service
Provision of dwelling service
Debt counselling service
Childcare service
Childcare service is intended for a person who has the right of custody over a child aged between 1.5 and 3 years or over a person with a severe or profound disability aged up to 18 years, in order to support their ability to cope or work (in the case of a person with a severe or profound disability who have passed the age of 18 years, the childcare service can be provided until the end of the calendar year during which they reach the age of 18 years).