Dushanka Petrova Advisor in the Institute for social activities in Skopje, Macedonia

1. Costing of servicesFindings from the questionnaire for social services, finances and budgets, as part of theAssessment of the reform of the child care system in Macedonia Dushanka Petrova Advisor in the Institute for social activities in Skopje, Macedonia

2. Content of the presentation • Review of the costing of services for providing: - Institutional forms of child protection - Non-institutional forms of child protection • Possibilities for cost sharing between the state and the beneficiary

3. Meeting the children’s rights and needs and development of various forms of care for children at risk is conditioned by the existence of an appropriate legal, institutional and financial framework in the community

4. The legal framework is ensuring much more than a minimum of resources in order to meet the children’s rights, but the state budget is very limited.

5. Provision of all rights and services for children is strongly connected with financial resources, which lead us to the issue of planning of the costs of those services.

6. Definition of the costs for different types of services Examples for the calculation of the costs: I - Residential institutions: The costs are consisting of : • Running costs + staff • Costs per beneficiary • Other costs (returning investments: mushroom growing, constructing greenhouses in order to grow vegetables, etc.) II - Foster care The costs are consisting of costs per beneficiary only However these costs are consisting of: • Costs for meeting the needs of the beneficiary • Allowance for the foster care providers

7. Cost sharing According to the Regulation Book on the kind and the scope of the social protection services, which are charged from behalf of the beneficiary and /or the relatives obliged to take care of the beneficiary (child) and the height of their participation in the costs, the beneficiaries or their parents or other relatives obliged by the Law to take care for the child participate in the service costs or cover them in total, which depends on the height of their regular monthly incomes.

8. Costs sharing Type of services: YES NO I - Family substitute services: • Residential institutions X • Foster care X • Short term protected shelter X • Kinship care / II - Family care services: • Day care X • Home based care / • Psycho-social support X • Legal aid X

9. Lesson learned: It is easier to make a good legislation then to provide funds for its implementation

10. Problem: Limited state budget and the constant lack of funds is negatively effecting meeting of the children rights.

11. Challenges: • It is necessary to find more creative ways to provide funds for meeting children rights (like “fundraising“ as a permanent governmental activity Providing income from the National Lottery, etc) • Make sure to provide the principle “Money follow the client” and not “Client follow the money”

12. Recommendations: • Defining norms and standards for the kind and the scope of protection of children at risk, • Defining the role of the local and civic initiative in covering part of the costs, especially for the non-residential services, • Developing the capacities of the social services and supporting the commitment for fulfilling children’s rights • Developing intersectoral collaboration with other relevant sectors (health, education, sport, culture, etc.) in providing child care and meeting the child’s rights, especially those in need of home based services.