Basic social services in rural settlements - Village and remote homestead community care-giving

Host Country : Hungary

Place and date : Miskolc , 27. - 28.6.2005

Peer countries : Finland - Greece - Lithuania - Norway - Portugal - Slovenia

The Hungarian settlement system is characterised by some 1,100 small villages. In these settlements access to social services is often problematic. Village and remote homestead community care-giving is a way of alleviating the disadvantages resulting from a shortage of social services in small and often isolated rural settlements. Since 1993, this type of service has been implemented in around 800 settlements.

The advantage of village and remote homestead community care-giving is that the services are integrated and community-based, and are adjusted to local conditions and specific to individual and community needs. At the same time, they are offered in small settlements and homesteads where basic social support is not otherwise provided because of the disadvantaged status of the settlements. Village and remote homestead community care-giving is being organised in settlements with fewer than 600 inhabitants. By 2006 new services will be started up in some 50 additional settlements, and 100 service-providers will be appropriately trained.

The services are generally provided by local authorities, which also make personnel available. Also a small number of local NGOs are contracted to deliver the services. The services are manifold and include basic social and healthcare services (such as transporting people to the doctors' surgery or collecting prescriptions), providing transport for pre-school and schoolchildren to school or to out-of-school activities (such as swimming lessons and language classes), and the mediation of other welfare needs. Help is also given with very practical jobs such as repairing household appliances, buying seed and cattle-fodder, or dealing with administrative matters.

Agenda - | en |

Peer Review manager

Ms Charlotte Strümpel ( European Centre )

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Basic social services in rural settlements - Village and remote homestead community care-giving

Host Country : Hungary

Place and date : Miskolc , 27. - 28.6.2005

Peer countries : Finland - Greece - Lithuania - Norway - Portugal - Slovenia

Peer Review manager

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