Priority policy directions for Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family

I. Policy development and management in social protection Goal: To manage social protection programmes at central and local level. Policy objectives Maintain the consolidated network of social assistants; Organise the ongoing training of social assistance staff; Create a system for reducing errors of inclusion and exclusion of potential social support beneficiaries; Create Social Inspection at different levels of public administration; Ensure a framework of social security guarantees for migrant workers from the Republic of Moldova; Optimise the State Social Insurance Budget by transferring expenses that do not represent insured social risks to the State Budget.

II. Protection in case of disease or temporary incapacity to work Goal: To compensate the income lost as a result of temporary incapacity to work, disability, labour accidents and maternity. Policy objectives Increase the employers’ responsibility for protection in case of temporary incapacity to work related to labour accidents and professional diseases by creating optimal conditions at the workplace.

III. Social protection for old age Goal: To compensate the income lost as a result of reaching the retirement age Policy objectives Unify the pension system and exclude privileged conditions from the state social insurance system;

IV. Protection in case of loss of the breadwinner Goal: To provide social protection to survivors in case of breadwinners’ death. Policy objectives Increase the level of support for people in case of loss of the breadwinner;

V. Family and child protection Goal: To ensure the smooth development of the child and promote his/her fundamental rights and ensure a protective family environment. Policy objectives Increase, diversify and optimise cash benefits provided to families with children and children in difficulty; Develop the integrated social service system and optimise social services for families with children; Improve the regulatory framework for the development, consolidation and integration of social services for families with children and children in difficulty; Provide assistance measures in the countries of destination, repatriation and protection to children without accompanying persons and to children who are in difficulty abroad; Implement mechanisms for the record and monitoring of child social protection process.

VI. Employment and protection of the unemployed Goal: To create a functional labour market that would ensure a high level of employment and increase the social protection for the unemployed. Policy objectives Increase people’s access to measures on the labour market by improving the quality of services and mechanisms for providing unemployment benefits, including to migrants who returned in the country as a result of losing their jobs abroad; Increase employment opportunities and prevent social exclusion of vulnerable groups.

VII. Protection against social exclusion caused by poverty Goal: To provide social assistance through social benefits for people in difficulty, who do not have the possibility to ensure a decent life. The Law no. 135-XVIII of stopped new entries in the nominal compensation system (11 categories) and froze the quantum of nominal compensations. Policy objectives Improve the system of social assistance benefits by evaluating the household’s level of living.

VIII. Specialised social assistance Goal: To provide minimum social assistance people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, victims of human trafficking and people affected by HIV/AIDS.

Sub-programme: Social assistance for people with disabilities Policy objectives Align the legislative-regulatory framework to European and international standards on the protection of rights of people with disabilities; Develop and approve the methodology for determining disability of children and adults (percentage of work capacity in cooperation with the Ministry of Health); Reorganise institutions and structures for the inclusion of people with disabilities; Develop the integrated social service system for children, adults and older people with disabilities; Promote and implement the mechanism for accrediting, inspecting and monitoring social service providers; Promote and implement the mechanism for contracting social assistance services.

Sub-programme: Social assistance for victims of domestic violence Policy objectives Enforce national policies on preventing and fighting against domestic violence;

Sub-programme: Social assistance for victims of human trafficking Policy objectives Implement the Strategy of the National Referral System in the field of protection and assistance for victims and potential victims of human trafficking (NRS), adopted through Parliament Decision no. 257 of

Sub-programme: Social assistance for people affected by HIV/AIDS Policy objectives Implement the grant of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/TB/Malaria, 8 th round in social protection

IX. Measures of support for certain categories of people Goal: To provide social protection to people with special merits to the state or support certain categories of people (teachers and doctors in rural areas, connection to the gas pipe) by providing benefits, compensations, allowances, cash support. Policy objectives Attract graduates of higher education institutions in rural areas by providing them with free housing in the case of distribution and employing them in rural public institutions (paid from the budget)  Social support to young people to procure (build) housing.

X. Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men Goal: To ensure gender equality in the economic, political and social life of women and men. Policy objectives Integrate the principle of gender equality in policies in all areas and at all levels of adopting and enforcing decisions; Consolidate the institutional mechanism of implementing gender equality at national and local level; Inform people about the prevention and elimination of prejudice, gender stereotypes and circumstances generating gender-based discrimination.